FULFILMENT OF LONG-TERM DESIRE STILL IN QUESTION

By James Kombe

A long time ago, I had an ambition; a desire to be of good service to myself, my people, my community, my country and the world in general. All these amounted to the final destination of my life struggle which necessitated the proper formulation of strategies. After all, in order to reach somewhere, one must pass through somewhere else. I always heard it from different opinion-holders that once you get to the university, you have succeeded in life.

Narrowing down to my specific choice, Moi University is the one whose beauty first presented itself to me. I loved Moi right from the day I learnt how to search for information over the Internet. The institution’s website looks wonderful on the homepage – I must confess. The corporate green colour, moving text and the alternating graphic-enhanced headlines looked attractive to my eyes. I did not know how to follow the links on the page, so I left the site and went ahead to ‘Google’ for Moi University images.

This is where I spent hours smiling. There was the Moi University Administration and Senate Building which looked similar to my imaginative paradise. Margaret Thatcher Library was just enough to clinch my search but before taking leave of the page, I noticed something very interesting. I saw some pathways and I had to ascertain that they are really found in the institution.

29th August, 2011 was the official opening date as was indicated on my admission letter. However, for reasons known to the institution, the date was quickly changed and fell on 14th July the same year. This was relayed via a notice that was in the newspaper which every Kenyan ought to have read, at least for that specific communication. I did not. I got the message a couple of days later. It was purely due to my ignorance and therefore I found no reason to blame any other party whatsoever. Quick arrangements had to be made and effected as demanded. Thanks to the amazing grace of the Lord, I got ready for and landed in the university within the first week.

The opinion that getting to the university means succeeding in life also seems far away from the truth. There are cases where students misbehave in campus and are eventually expelled. This calls for self-discipline as one carries him/herself around campus. Still, continuous below-average performance can lead to a student being discontinued, which means that one must work very hard to avoid such an embarrassment.

In this logic, it is quite evident that being enrolled in a university is not the final step towards success. Even if you successfully complete your course and graduate, you may just find yourself joining a multitude of serious graduates as well as job-seekers. The biggest worry that a university student should therefore have is the question: ‘what special quality do I possess that will attract an employer to me at the expense of the rest?’

Therefore, I still have an ambition; a desire to gain favour from the Almighty and become someone worth mentioning in the near future. Hard work continues…