From a watchman to a principal: The Success Story of Juma from Kakamega.

God places individuals in your path to assist you to achieve your goals. Things get easier to attain when you are around destiny helpers.

It takes a great amount of fortitude to go against the norm and pursue what many may consider a wet dream in the traditional rags to riches stories.

Juma Nyongesa’s quest for happiness was riddled with stumbling blocks, but his tenacity and determination brought him to victory.

From working as a tea collector and security guard to eventually becoming the director of the Kenya Institute of Development Studies (KIDS), his story is one of never giving up hope.

Nyongesa had previously said that he was brought up in a community in Kakamega County’s Matunda. His parents, who worked as casual labourers, battled to support their families while also educating their children.

He was the eldest of eleven children, and he frequently accompanied his parents during school vacations to assist the family to supplement their income. He earned an admission letter to Musingu High School after completing his KCPE with excellent scores.

The announcement, while happy, elicited varied feelings from the family, especially as the difficulty of raising school fees entered the picture.

“I had done so well,” he explained, “but the problem was that my family couldn’t afford to send me to that school because of the money required for my school tuition.”

His father begged him to enrol at Eshikulu Day Secondary School, which he could afford at the moment. Nyongesa consented to the request, prompting his grandfather to sell a portion of his ancestral farm to earn the required money.

Nyongesa passed the KCSE examinations four years later and received a B average, but she lost out on direct admission to the institution.

Nyongesa was depressed by the course of events and attempted but failed to enlist in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). He was allowed to join the Kenya Army, but he was ordered to leave the camp 38 days later due to an error made during the recruitment procedure.

“All we were informed was that there was an issue in the recruitment procedure.” Later, I discovered that a powerful politician was present, and we were evicted to make room. He described it as “devastating.”

Nyongesa decided not to lose hope and started working on a tea plantation near Limuru. He eventually changed employment and returned to Nairobi, where he earned KES36,000 as a security guard in Westlands.

The experienced guard worked hard and was promoted to a senior position. He was later sent to Daystar University as a guard.

Nyongesa met significant people at this opportune time, and they ended up providing him with another shot in school.

Nyongesa was able to save enough money to raise the required payments. He was also able to assist his coworkers by assisting them in regaining their footing. This drew the attention of Canadian officials who visited the institution often. They wanted to meet with him.

“They were curious about my future ambitions. When I informed them I wanted to return to school, they indicated they would finance my education as well as that of my colleague guard in our second meeting “he said

Nyongesa enrolled at Daystar College soon after to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development with a minor in Business Management. He attempted a couple of accounting jobs after college before landing a lecturer position at KIDS.

He was elevated to the position of college principal within a year.

Destiny helpers come in many forms and are sent to us in times of great need. Angelic destiny helpers, human destiny helpers, and the Holy Spirit of God all exist.