INVESTIGATIVE FEATURE

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‎SHATTERED DREAMS

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‎By : Florence Wanyonyi 

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‎At 14,faith sits on a wooden bench outside her bosses house, braiding hair for small change. Just two years ago, she was a bright student who dreamed of becoming a lecturer .Today, her school uniform gathers dust in a corner.

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‎Faith’s story is far from unique. In Eldoret, more and more children are leaving classrooms long before they finish their education. Some drop out quietly, unnoticed. Others are forced out by circumstances beyond their control. Together, they form a hidden crisis — one that threatens not just their futures, but the nation’s.

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‎According to the Ministry of Education’s 2024 statistics, an estimated 250,000 Kenyan children aged 6–17 are out of school. In rural counties, dropout rates are as high as 30% in secondary schools. While the government boasts near-universal enrollment in lower primary, the challenge remains keeping students in school long enough to complete their studies.

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‎Behind each missing number is a child like Faith — and a story of lost dreams

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‎According to UNICEF, poverty remains the leading cause of school dropout in Kenya. Uniforms, hidden levies, transport costs, and exam fees pile up, leaving poor households unable to cope. For girls, poverty also means lack of sanitary pads — a simple but powerful reason why many skip classes and eventually give up altogether.

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‎ “Sometimes I used to stay at home during my periods because we couldn’t afford pads,” admits Faith.

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‎Teenage Pregnancies and Early Marriages

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‎In parts of Nyanza and Coast regions, teenage pregnancy remains a stubborn driver of dropouts. Nationally, 1 in 5 Kenyan girls is a mother before 18, according to UNFPA.

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‎“When I got pregnant at 15, I was told not to come back,” recalls Faith, who now works as a nanny to care for her toddler. Though re-entry policies exist on paper, stigma and lack of childcare support force many girls to abandon school permanently.

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‎Boys Lost to Drugs and Hustles

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‎While girls often leave due to pregnancies and early marriages, boys face a different trap: drugs and quick-money hustles.

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‎Peer pressure also plays a role. Some boys are lured into small businesses or boda boda riding, which offers immediate income compared to the long-term promise of education. By 18, many have lost interest in school, trading books for daily earnings.

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‎The System’s Blind Spots

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‎Beyond personal struggles, the education system itself drives children away. Overcrowded classrooms — some with more than 70 pupils per teacher — leave struggling learners behind. Exam-oriented teaching punishes the slow, labeling them “failures.”

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‎> “When a child repeats classes three times and still fails, shame forces them out,” explains an education officer in Eldoret 

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‎Curriculum gaps also alienate students. Rural children question why they study topics that feel irrelevant to their lives, while vocational training opportunities remain limited.

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‎Without enough guidance counselors, many schools cannot provide emotional or social support. Teachers end up as both educators and social workers — a load many say they cannot carry alone.

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‎Voices of the Forgotten

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‎For the dropouts themselves, the sense of loss is heavy.

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‎Musa, 16, works in a maize mill after leaving school in Form One. “I wanted to finish school, but my parents couldn’t afford books. Sometimes, I wonder what my life could have been.”

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‎Janet, 13, dropped out after her father’s death. “I help my mother sell vegetables. I miss my friends, but there is no money for fees.”

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‎The consequences of dropping out ripple across society. Studies show that children who leave school early are more likely to face poverty, unemployment, early pregnancies, and even criminal activity. Communities lose potential doctors, engineers, and innovators.

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‎Economists warn that Kenya’s Vision 2030 and digital economy dreams are at risk if current dropout trends persist. “Every child lost to dropout is a dent in the country’s human capital,” says Dr. Omondi, an education researcher.

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‎Government and Community Responses

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‎The government has launched initiatives such as free primary education, bursaries, and re-entry policies for young mothers. However, implementation remains uneven.

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‎NGOs like Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) and Save the Children run “back-to-school” programs, vocational training, and mentorship for dropouts. Some churches and mosques offer scholarships.

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‎As dusk falls, children in uniform stream home from school, clutching books and laughing. For those left behind, like Musa and Janet, the laughter is a reminder of dreams deferred.

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‎The dropout crisis is not just a story about children; it is a story about us all. It is about a country’s duty to protect its future. Policymakers, parents, teachers, and communities must act — not tomorrow, but today.

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‎Because every empty desk is not just a lost student. It is a lost doctor, teacher, leader, and dream.

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