Uasin Gishu: Poverty threatens to lock 8 siblings out of school

This inequality has left many families trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, with little hope of escape. One family in Uasin Gishu County is now staring at that reality, as poverty threatens to lock eight siblings out of school.

Nearly three weeks after the start of the first term of the academic calendar, four of the siblings remain at home. They are part of a family of eight, all orphans, now under the care of a guardian who says she is unable to meet their basic needs, let alone educate them.

“I work as a casual labourer washing clothes for people. What I earn is very little to sustain us. Sometimes the children even sleep hungry,” said the guardian.

The children, who are at different stages of their education, have been forced to seek help from local authorities in a bid to return to school. The most urgent case is that of Fidel James Otieno, who is expected to transition to senior school but is unable to do so due to lack of fees.

“I feel very bad because I was called to Eldoret High School,” said Fidel.

In desperation, the family turned to the area chief for assistance. Esther Akoth Wesonga said the intervention has so far not yielded results.

“I had to go to the chief to seek help so that the children could go to school, but they are still at home because we do not have money,” she said.

The chief issued the family with a letter authorising them to seek support from well-wishers, a move that remains their only hope of continuing their education journey.

The eight siblings are part of a much larger number of children who remain out of school due to poverty.

A report by Oxfam Kenya released last month laid bare the scale of the crisis, showing that children from the poorest 20 per cent of Kenyan households receive nearly five fewer years of schooling compared to those from the richest 20 percent.

The report further noted that when children from low-income families enter public schools where government spending per learner has dropped to just 18 per cent of its 2003 value, they are not merely falling behind but are being systematically locked out of the future.

According to the report, about 1.13 million children of primary school-going age are currently out of school due to poverty, while nearly half of secondary school-age learners are not accessing secondary education at the appropriate age.

Education stakeholders say these disparities continue to entrench poverty and limit opportunities for affected families.

“These statistics show you the level of poverty in our communities and how households are struggling to cope. When more than 60 percent of households live on less than two dollars a day, you cannot expect their children to raise over Ksh.50,000 to transition to grade ten before paying fees,” said Boaz Waruku.

In many cases, children from poor households end up in under-resourced schools from primary to tertiary levels, limiting their chances of accessing quality education.

While the government maintains that basic education has been free since 2003, stakeholders argue that resources have failed to keep pace with rising enrolment.

“There has been expansion in education, but it is also widening the inequality gap. It is expansion without quality, expansion that overburdens communities that are already struggling, and expansion without providing even the most basic requirements,” Waruku said.

These inequalities are visible across nearly all education outcomes, but are more pronounced in rural areas and among low-income populations, particularly those living in informal settlements.

For Esther, however, hope remains firmly anchored in education.

“I just pray that they are able to study so that one day they can help this family and lift us out of poverty,” she said.