Mother of seven scores good grades in KCSE 2019

Thirty-four-year-old Florence Muia, a mother of seven, is among the 125, 746 of the 699, 745 learners (18 per cent) who scored a mean grade of C+ (Plus) and above to secure automatic slots in Kenyan public universities.

Muia, who sat KCSE 2019 at Nzulini Secondary School in Mwingi West in Kitui County, scored a mean grade of C+ (Plus) of 52 points out of the possible 84.

The mother of seven posted the following results in individual subjects: English C (Plain), Kiswahili B- (Minus), Mathematics D (Plain), Biology B- (Minus), Chemistry D+ (Plus), CRE A- (Minus), History and Government A (Plain), and Business Studies B (Plain).

In an interview with K24 Digital, Muia said she dropped out of school 20 years ago due to lack of school fees.

Muia, who dreams of becoming a lawyer, said she got married shortly after discontinuing her education.

Muia joined Form One at Nzulini School in 2016 after receiving a sponsorship.

“Since my first day at the school, I was committed to success. I scooped Position One from Form One all the way to Form Four. I was appointed as the students’ head girl in my last year,” Muia told K24 Digital.

The 34-year-old cited juggling the demands of a family and education as one of the biggest challenges she faced in her pursuit of becoming a lawyer.

“There was a time my husband got ill. As a result, I was the one to look for money to feed our children, perform the house chores and still commit to my studies,” she said.

Muia dropped out of school after sitting her KCPE exam in 1999, and got married in 2001.

“I come from a humble background. I was raised by a single-mother, who could not afford my secondary education fees. I had lost hope, and opted to get married after it became clearer that my dream of attending school was shattered,” said Muia, who scored 483 marks out of the possible 700 in KCPE 1999.

“In 2016, the current Kitui Woman Representative, Irene Muthoni Kasalu, offered to take me back to school. I welcomed the idea. And I am grateful to her for rekindling my hopes of becoming a lawyer,” she said.

Muia now wants the State to put up a sponsorship programme for elderly students who are needy but bright. Muia’s first born child, a son, is aged 14, whereas her last born child, also a son, is aged 6. She is a mother of four sons and three daughters.