In a heartbreaking testament to the hunger for education, a young boy from Kericho trekked 60 kilometers to Kabartegan Boys High School, clutching nothing but his admission letter and a dream.

Shadrack Kipng’eno’s odyssey began at dawn. With no bus fare and parents unable to support him due to extreme poverty, he chose to walk rather than forfeit his spot in Grade 10. His arrival at the school gate, dusty, exhausted, and empty-handed, stunned the administration and has since ignited a national conversation on the cost of the new education curriculum.

A Principal’s Kindness

The school principal, moved by the boy’s sheer determination, stepped in where the system had failed. He not only admitted Shadrack immediately but also paid his initial fees and bought him personal shopping.

• The Journey: 60km is roughly the distance from Nairobi to Naivasha—a 12-hour walk through hilly terrain.
• The System: The transition to Senior School (Grade 10) has been marred by high costs, leaving thousands of bright but needy students stranded.
• The Community: Well-wishers are now rallying to support Shadrack, but his story is just one among thousands.

"I could not stay at home," Shadrack told reporters. "I knew if I reached the gate, God would do the rest." His story is a shaming indictment of the inequalities in our education sector, where a child’s future still depends on the depth of their parents' pockets—or the strength of their legs.