The horizon of a sunset in Kapiyo, Bondo, is beautiful, but there is more than what meets the eye. To an outsider, the sun setting over Lake Victoria is a postcard of serenity.

To a sixteen-year-old boy in Kapiyo Secondary School, that same water is a powerful gravitational pull. It is the “Fishing Lure”, the promise of 1,000 KES for a night’s work on a boat. In a household where the monthly income often struggles to hit 10,000 KES, the classroom can feel like a luxury the stomach cannot afford.

For the girls of Kapiyo, the gravity is different but equally heavy. It is the “Boda Boda” ride to school offered by an older man in exchange for a “favor,” or the five days of school missed every month because a packet of sanitary towels costs more than a family’s meal.

This is the reality of rural education: a constant battle between the immediate need to survive and the distant hope of a degree. Education here hasn’t just been a ladder, it’s been a “ping-pong” match, where students are sent home for a 500 KES lunch balance, missing three days of lessons, returning and falling further behind until the “cliff edge” of Form Four ends the journey entirely.

When the Strathmore University Alumni Association (SUAA) launched the Alumni Adopt a School Initiative, we didn’t just write a cheque. We chose to disrupt the lake’s gravity. Led by the Kisumu Chapter and the #ThaoNaKapiyo campaign, the partnership reimagined what a “strategic partner” looks like.

We started by restoring the school’s pride. Chalkboards were replaced with modern whiteboards. Sanitary towels were provided, ensuring that being a girl was no longer a reason to fall behind. We looked at the school’s playing field. Once an overgrown, neglected bush that signaled a lack of hope now restored into a space where talent can be nurtured. The university’s leadership didn’t stay in Nairobi offices, either. Vice Chancellor Dr. Vincent Ogutu ran 88 kilometers, a grueling physical testament to the institution’s commitment. It signals that Kapiyo is not a “charity case,” but a “strategic priority”.

The most significant barrier to higher education in rural Kenya is often a “poverty of information”. On Saturday, 7th March 2026, the Strathmore University Alumni Association did something radical. We brought the “big rooms” of boardrooms and regulatory offices directly to the community of Kapiyo. Under the theme “Pathways After High School,” we hosted a community Open Day designed to dismantle the barriers of uncertainty after high school.

A gathering of students, parents, and educators came face-to-face with the gatekeepers of Kenya’s higher education. Bringing KUCCPS, HELB, KMTC – Bondo, Strathmore University Financial Aid Office, The Kisumu National Polytechnic, St. Joseph’s Technical Institute for the Deaf (Nyang’oma), and Strathmore University Admissions Office to the school gates, we demystified the complex world of applications and funding into a tangible, reachable reality for every student in the Kapiyo community.

The results? Before the session, students were “guessing” their futures. Many had “very low confidence” in their next steps. After the session, a total mental shift.

One student said: “Everyone can get something to do after high school, regardless of their grade.”

 The “cliff edge” was replaced by a map. Students left with clear targets, verified funding routes, and the realization that their strengths, passion and interest, not just their family’s expectations, could dictate their career.

The “Kapiyo Model” is now a symbol of possibility. It is the story of former students of this rural mixed secondary school who are now proud students of Strathmore University. This is courtesy of scholarships from the Financial Aid Office and the Alumni Association through the #ThaoNaKapiyo initiative, which covers their accommodation and daily needs. These are not just beneficiaries, they are the new role models that disrupt the belief of what is possible.

Our dream for Kapiyo is bold, uncompromising, and urgent: We are chasing a 100% transition rate to tertiary education. We refuse to accept a world where a brilliant mind is traded for a night’s catch on the lake. We refuse to let a 500-shilling lunch balance be the reason a future surgeon or engineer disappears into the cycle of poverty. We envision a Kapiyo where every student walks across a graduation square, whether at a university, a national polytechnic, or a medical training college.

We cannot bridge this gap with hope alone. We need the strength of the entire Strathmore family to turn this ripple into a wave of change. We ask you to be the bridge and support the #ThaoNaKapiyo initiative as a declaration that no child’s destiny should be limited by the coordinates of their birth.

To support, send your contributions to Pay Bill Number: 7552019 Account Name: Kapiyo.

Article written by Janet Ochola