Kajiado’s top girl wants to study abroad
A seventeen year-old girl has beaten all odds to emerge the only Maasai girl in Kajiado county’s secondary schools to attain a mean grade A in this year Kenya Certificate Secondary Educations (KCSE) examinations.
Sandra Natasha, who hails from Oloseos in Kajiado West sub-county, scored 81 points after a journey full of hurdles ended well at Mary Hill High School.
She had scored 424 marks in her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) test in 2015 at Olerai Primary School.
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The sleepy Kajiado sub-county is rated as the most remote in the vast county, with most girls still subjected to the retrogressive cultural practices of FGM and early marriages, locking them out of school.
Natasha intends to study medical engineering abroad. She narrates how she was looked down upon by some schoolmates who thought a girl from a pastoral community could not beat them in academics.
“My parents and teachers have been my pillars of support, giving me hope to excel in national examinations,” she says.
Natasha’s father, Stephen Moiko says his daughter’s performance is exemplary and a motivation to other Maasai girls.
He urges the Maasai men to support girl-child education to better the community, which has lagged behind in development due to illiteracy.
While at home in Oloseos, Natasha looks after her father’s cattle, a duty she alternates with her young siblings.
