{"id":11727,"date":"2026-01-09T11:20:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T08:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=11727"},"modified":"2026-01-09T11:20:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T08:20:41","slug":"teso-learner-who-crushes-stones-sells-charcoal-to-support-own-jss-education-appeals-for-financial-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=11727","title":{"rendered":"Teso Learner Who Crushes Stones, Sells Charcoal To Support Own JSS Education Appeals for Financial Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reuben Olita -Busia\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 17-year-old student who financed his own Junior Secondary School education at St James Koteko Comprehensive School in Malaba South Ward, is appealing to well-wishers for support to continue his studies after securing Grade 10 placement at Musingu Boys High School in Kakamega County.<\/p>\n

Thomas Eng\u2019odol Otando, the last-born child of Constantine Otando, who has partial visual impairment, and Mary Ideete Otando, told journalists at their home in Kocholya village, Teso North Sub County, that he excelled in Grade 9 last year, achieving a \u201cMeeting Expectations\u201d mean mark of 53 out of a possible 72. This performance earned him placement at Sigalame High School in Busia County.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Thomas Eng’odol and his parents Constantine Otando and Mary Ideete at their Kocholia home in Teso North Sub County.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, the family could not afford the fees required for admission, prompting his parents to seek an alternative school. Thomas\u2019s father later secured him a place at Musingu Boys High School, offering renewed hope for the teenager\u2019s dream of becoming a chemical engineer.<\/p>\n

Despite this opportunity, Thomas is worried about meeting the school fees and has appealed to his MCA Boniface Ekada Mamai, MP Oku Kaunya, Governor Paul Otuoma, and other well-wishers to assist him.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Thomas Otando crushing stones to achieve his education dream of becoming a chemical engineer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His father, Constantine Otando, said he had applied for a scholarship at the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation but has yet to receive any response. He noted that he registered as a person with a disability in 2011 but has not received any government support to date.<\/p>\n

Mary Ideete Otando, Thomas\u2019s mother, appealed to the government for assistance, explaining that the family has no income apart from subsistence farming, which barely sustains them. She added that her husband is limited in work due to his disability. The mother of six revealed that she has previously struggled to educate two other daughters up to Form Four, where they achieved grade C, but could not afford college education.<\/p>\n

The family hopes that support from well-wishers and government officials will help Thomas continue his education and achieve his dream.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reuben Olita -Busia\u00a0 A 17-year-old student who financed his own Junior Secondary School education at St James Koteko Comprehensive School in Malaba South Ward, is appealing to well-wishers for support to continue his studies after securing Grade 10 placement at Musingu Boys High School in Kakamega County. Thomas Eng\u2019odol Otando, the last-born child of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nTeso Learner Who Crushes Stones, Sells Charcoal To Support Own JSS Education Appeals for Financial Support - Horizon News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=11727\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teso Learner Who Crushes Stones, Sells Charcoal To Support Own JSS Education Appeals for Financial Support - Horizon News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Reuben Olita -Busia\u00a0 A 17-year-old student who financed his own Junior Secondary School education at St James Koteko Comprehensive School in Malaba South Ward, is appealing to well-wishers for support to continue his studies after securing Grade 10 placement at Musingu Boys High School in Kakamega County. 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