Form 4 girl faces dropout as sick mother locked out of SHA
By Emanuel Tarus, February 18, 2026Faith Wamboi Macharia, an 18-year-old Form Four student at Friends Namandala Mixed Secondary School in Trans Nzoia County, is at risk of dropping out of school.
Speaking to K24 Digital at ADC Olkatongo farm on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, where they squat with her sickly mother, Knight Nelima, Wamboi, who normally walks 10 kilometres every day, said she has accrued Ksh. 28,000 fee arrears.
She revealed that her mother, Nelima, raised Ksh2,000 when she was in form one, and she later got Ksh. 5,000 National Government Constituencies Development Fund NG-CDF bursary.
Since then, she has never paid anything due to her family’s financial constraints.
Despite all these challenges, the fifth-born child of Nelima is determined to excel in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education KCSE this year and later pursue her dream career of becoming a medical doctor.
Unlike other students, she does not participate in games because she utilises that time to do homework before going home.
“My mother was the sole breadwinner of our humble family before she fell ill. I call on well-wishers to come to the rescue of my mother and assist me to complete my education, become a doctor and later come and help other needy people in our society,” Wamboi said.
Nelima, who worked as a casual labourer in ADC farms, said her life took a downward spiral since the death of her husband over a decade ago, and got worse when she fell ill in 2023.
Holding a walking stick, Nelima said she is unable to work, and her biggest worry is being evicted from her make-shift structure erected on the government land.
“I got sick, and I am now completely grounded. I now depend on my children. My daughter is forced to leave school early so that she can look for something for us to eat, and sometimes we go for days without food,” she said.
Although she is sick, she cannot register for the Social Health Authority (SHA) because her national Identity Card got burnt in 2014.
Friends Namandala Mixed Secondary School Principal Janerose Wanjala said the school became aware of the student’s situation late last year after students with huge fee arrears were asked to pay in kind.
“She informed me that she could not manage to raise school fees and that her mother could not make it to school. That prompted me to find out more about her background and learnt about her family’s challenges,” Wanjala said.
Matisi Location Senior Chief, Janet Wekesa, confirmed the family’s situation and appealed to well-wishers and relevant authorities to help the needy family.
“The family is in dire need, and we urgently request support from people of goodwill so that she can be treated and that her daughter’s education is not discontinued,” said the chief.