Emmaculate in 2012, while under KEF scholarship

In 2010, over 600 of us from Kibera - Kenya's biggest slum located in Nairobi City- applied for a KEF scholarship. Securing it was not easy. I went through a series of tests and interviews and was one of only ten students from Kibera who were awarded the scholarship. Due to my good grades, I got admitted to Pangani Girls’ High School (one of the top girls’ school in the country).

Playing Basketball for Strathmore University Team

The greatest thing about the scholarship was that I became part of a family that was concerned about my academic and social well-being. Over the holidays I would attend KEF's life-skills workshops where I had a chance to network with other KEF students and talk about our life challenges.

In high school, I not only excelled in academics but also in sports, particularly basketball. In June 2015, I began my journey at Strathmore University under an 85% sports scholarship for basketball. This meant that for the next four years, my main obligation was to study and play basketball for my school. I was pursuing Bachelor of Science in Informatics and Computer Science.

In the second semester of my third year in school, I was elected as the female sports representative in the student council. I took this opportunity to give back to the community. In coordination with a local corporation, we started a mentoring/basketball program known as HOH (Highway of Hope) to help build basketball courts in Kibera, organize holiday basketball camps and provide weekly mentoring to high school girls enrolled in our program.

I have now completed my four-years of university and graduated in July 2019 with 2nd class honors - upper division. I am forever indebted to KEF and all their donors who have helped shape my future. This has been my journey; onward and upward!