A girl from Nandi County raised by an alcoholic father and later impregnated while aged 13 years has overcome all odds to join celebrated Pepperdine University in California, United States of America.
She will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Policing.
The 30-year-old Janeth Jepleting from Kilibwoni village in Emgwen constituency, Nandi County, had to work as a house help and a hospital cleaner in order to raise school fees for her basic education studies in Kenya.
But in what would be equated to a journey of pain and anguish, Janeth was not deterred in her quest for education.
She was born out of wedlock and raised by an alcoholic and violent father who most of the time mistreated her and made her life miserable. Due to the environment she was living in, the 30-year-old was exposed to gender-based violence at an early age including domestic violence she saw her mother be subjected to.
At age 9, her grandmother took over the role of raising her but unfortunately, she passed away after two years. And while aged 11, the young Janeth was forced to move from one relative’s home to another in search of shelter.
Working as housegirl
However, after she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E) at thirteen years old, she became pregnant. This worsened her situation and the pregnancy forced her to drop out of school.
She ended up working as a house girl for two years where she managed to raise some money to enable her to join High school.
Janet was lucky to join Mosop Stephen Kositany Girls High School in Nandi County with the help of a bursary from the Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). She had financial instability but was determined to work as a cleaner at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret town just to help her raise her school fees and complete her high school education.
After a sterling performance in KCSE, Janet applied for a diploma course in Law at The Nairobi Institute of Business Studies but later transferred to The Catholic University of Eastern Africa to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Unfortunately, she was in and out of school most of the time due to financial constraints.
One evening, after a student fellowship at All Saints Cathedral in Eldoret, Janeth met a well-wisher Valentine Gitoho, to who she narrated the story of her life.
Dropped out of university
To her disbelief, Gitoho donated Ksh200,000 to cater for her education, and this turned around her life.
After graduating in 2018, Janeth made several applications to Universities in the United Kingdom (UK) and she was fortunate to get admitted to the University of Sussex, for further studies but she later dropped out due to lack of school fees.
But In her quest for education, in 2021, she secured a scholarship at Pepperdine University in California to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Policing.
And although lucky, she needed over Ksh600,000 to cater for her travel allowances and other educational needs at the university – an amount that almost shuttered her dreams.
It was not until Janeth met Dr Henry Kibet Rotich, a Director of Metrology and Testing at The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS) that her dream of joining Pepperdine University became a reality.
Dr Kibet, born to a humble family of 9, (8 boys and 1 girl ) in Nandi County and had studied at The University of Nairobi before acquiring a Master’s and PhD in sciences in the People’s Republic of China, being passionate about education, he mobilized friends to raise resources that would finally enable Janeth to realize her dream.
Inspire other girls
“In China, I noted how women had succeeded in education and other fields and I felt that if more girls are supported in Kenya to pursue the education they will transform our society. Most of the lecturers in our university were women this is the reason I am passionate about supporting young girls in their quest for education, especially from my County in Nandi,” says Dr Kibet.
“I want to thank Nandi professional group and all people who not only contributed their monies but demonstrated their faith in Janeth’s dream to further her dreams abroad,” he added.
The 30-year-old noted that this is her final leg of the educational quest which she hopes will inspire many young girls, especially from his rural Kilibwoni village.
“It’s a journey close to my heart as it inspires young girls in my Kilibwoni village in Nandi county and beyond who may have shared a bitter past with me,” she notes.
And even as she pursues her educational dream, Janeth also harbours political ambitions.
“I have political ambitions and after completing my Master’s degree in Pepperdine University, I am passionate about joining the Kenya National Intelligence Service (NIS) for my career and also start a foundation to help young women and girls in my society in a bid to empower more girls to live up to their dreams,” she says.
