When Elizabeth Nabwire Ekakoro left Kenya on December 12, 2011
headed for further studies in Ukraine, her future could not have been
any brighter.
She was one of the five Kenyan students
selected that year to receive a scholarship to study in the Eastern
European country beating out about 100 other applicants.
She was to pursue civil engineering at the Kiev National University of Construction and Architecture.
Three
of her newly found colleagues were headed to the National Technical
University of Ukraine and are also pursuing engineering degrees.
Anthony Kiarie is studying Mechanical Engineering, Simon Njinju (Chemical) and Samuel Erumu (Computer).
One other student Everlyne Wamuyu is pursuing International Economics.
They all boarded the same flight bidding their families goodbye ready to start their new life.
Their
parents were relieved that their only cost was paying for their
children’s air tickets as the Ukrainian government was footing their
tuition and the Kenyan government was catering for their upkeep.
When
Elizabeth and her other colleagues arrived in the Ukrainian capital
city of Kiev, they found out that they could not enrol for university
level classes until they completed their Ukrainian and Russian language
classes.
This was the start of their challenges but they did not mind this particular one.
What they did not anticipate was that their own government would turn its back on them once they departed.
BURSARY FUNDS
According
to Elizabeth, the Ministry of Higher Education had promised them that
they would start remitting their bursary funds amounting to Sh60,000
annually as soon as they landed in Ukraine.
However, this was not to be as the five students waited patiently for communication from the ministry but none was forthcoming.
As panic set in, the students wrote numerous emails to the ministry but they did not receive a response.
Two
years in, they are yet to receive any communication from the ministry
as to when they would be receiving the funds promised to them.
After
giving up on ever hearing back from the ministry, they turned for help
from the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow which has accreditation in Ukraine,
Kazakhstan and Belarus.
This too did not help. The embassy did not respond to any one of their emails for almost two years as well.
When the Daily Nation
reached out to the Embassy for a comment, a spokesman for the Kenyan
ambassador in Russia confirmed that the interviews were indeed conducted
for the Ukrainian Government scholarships 2011 and the students
selected.
Ms Jennifer Njuguna responding on behalf of
the embassy however said that only the Ministry of Education could
explain the government’s policy on bursaries.
“The
Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary in the Ministry would be
the right people to explain government policy on bursaries.” Ms Njuguna
told the Daily Nation.
An email sent to the Ministry was not responded to.
As
the students hold on to the thin thread of hope that their own
government will not indeed go back on its word to make good its promise,
they have to endure miserable days that they never thought they would
see.
“We can only eat one meal a day here,” Elizabeth says. “Sometimes we will miss meals entirely to save the little we have.”
The
Ukrainian government also offers stipends to students who excel in
their classes achieving straight “A”s. The amount is about $80.
“It
is very difficult to maintain an “A” for us because of the challenges
we face having to use a foreign language in class,” says Simon.
“Even when you are really lucky to get the stipend, the hostel alone is $50 which leaves you with $30 for all your other needs.”
The
students also say they have been shut out of the international
students’ community activities as they are not able to participate
financially.
They say they have been completely isolated.
The only bright light in their otherwise tumultuous days is a church that they attend which holds sermons in English.
“The
church sometimes comes together and gives us some little funding to
sustain us,” says Elizabeth. “Without them, this life would be
unbearable.”
For now the students hope that the ministry will come to their aid and remit the Sh300,000 they are owed.
They all remember that President Uhuru made comments in Uganda stating that the diaspora is Kenya’s largest asset.
“Right
now it does not feel like it. I am not even sure the government knows
that we landed in Ukraine,” says Simon. “I remain hopeful though, I
remain hopeful.”
source: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/diaspora/struggling-Kenyan-students-Ukraine
