Juma Nyongesa: Meet A Security Guard From Kakamega Who Rose To Being A College Principal In Kenya

His name is Juma Nyongesa. He was born and raised in Matunda, Kakamega county in a family of eleven. From doing manual jobs like a tea collector, and security guard to ultimately heading the Kenya Institute of Development Studies (KIDS), his journey entails a remarkable tale of never losing hope. After finishing his KCPE in 1998, he got great results and received an admission letter to join Musingu High school. The news, albeit exciting, got mixed reactions from the family as the challenge to raise the school fees came into the fold. 

His father then beseeched him to join Eshikulu Day Secondary School, which he could afford. Nyongesa agreed to the request which led to his old man selling a piece of his ancestral land to raise the requisite fees. Four years later, Nyongesa sat the KCSE exams and scored a B mean grade, but missed opportunity to get a direct entry to university.Dejected by the turn of events, Nyongesa tried to enrol into the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) as well as Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to no avail. In 2004, a chance, however, opened for him to join the Kenya Army but 38 days later, he was instructed to leave the camp over an error during the recruitment process. Later, he learnt that a powerful politician had his people and they were ejected to create space.

Nyongesa began working at a tea plantation in Limuru. He later shifted jobs and moved back to Nairobi working as a security guard in Westlands, earning Ksh36,000 monthly. He was then promoted and was posted as a guard at Daystar University.  This opportune moment saw Nyongesa cross paths with influential personalities who ended up giving him another chance in education. Nyongesa managed to save money in order to raise the needed fees. Further, he was able to help his colleagues by helping them when they need to get back on their feet. This caught the attention of Canadian officials who were frequent visitors of the school. They requested to see him. 

Nyongesa joined Daystar in 2007 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development and a minor in Business Management. After graduation, he tried a few stints in accounting before eventually becoming a lecturer post at KIDS. Within a year, he got to be promoted to become the college’s principal. A true reflection of coming from grass to grace.

Source: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001305281/my-journey-from-failing-kcse-to-a-college-principal

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