Bold dreams & challenges that inspired boardroom member to sit KCSE at 79 years

At 79 years old-an age, Samuel Wainaina is boldly pursuing his dreams and serving as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of education has no expiry date, having sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education this year.

Driven by a lifelong desire to complete the studies he once put aside, Wainaina made the decision to resume his education journey at an age when his peers have long settled into retirement.

Born in 1949 in Nyandarua, Wainania missed the chance to further his education beyond primary school.

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Despite posting impressive results and getting invited to join Nyandarua High School, Wainaina had to halt his education as his parents who were squatters at a white settler farm could not afford the fees.

Difficult choices

His parents acquired a loan meant for his fees but this money had to be diverted to facilitate the settlement of his family on a land that the government had availed to squatters.

He recounted that his father presented him with the difficult choice of pursuing education and land for the family and he chose the former, marking the end of his education journey in 1966.

My father asked me to choose between my education and land; I had no choice but to surrender the money to enable payment of the settlement fee for our family.

For 60 years, Wainaina deferred his dream of transitioning to High School and sitting the national exams.

He turned to casual jobs for survival, had children and ventured into farming with little hope that he would one day resume his studies.

Boardroom appointment & challenges

Farming opened new doors for Wainaina who was keen on raising quality breeds and rallied other farmers behind this initiative.

“When we set up a farm to raise cattle, I started to have conversations with farmers on how to raise the quality breeds, and that is how I ended up in the Kenya National Farmers Federation (KENAFF) through our association with livestock producers,” Wainaina told the press.

This role made the need to further his education clearer as he rose from being a member of KENAFF to the East Africa Farmers Federation as a council member and eventually being a board member of EAFF.

Back to school & what the future holds

To effectively contribute during boardroom meetings, negotiations and engagement with stakeholders, Wainina enrolled as a KCSE candidate at the adult centre at Nakuru Boys High School.

His children and grandchildren tutored him, helping him prepare for the national examinations.

At 79 years of age, his thirst for knowledge is only getting stronger and his dreams bigger as he hopes that the results of will open doors for greater accomplishments.

Powered by a strong desire to help his community and serve effectively in his current role as EAFF board member, Wainina intends to pursue community development course at the university.