ON YOUR CHRONICLE

By Purity Museo

Eliaph L. Chemai is a lecturer in the School of Human Resource Development in the Department of Communication Studies. Born in 1940 in a well-off family, he did not understand the menace of sleeping hungry. The turning point in his life was when his parents passed away while he was eight years old. He then schooled with the help of the church, community and bursaries from local authorities.

He went to Kapsabet High school and later joined Kenyatta College (now K.U.) and did a teaching course called SI which is equivalent to a diploma in English-Literature and Kiswahili today. He taught in three high schools after which he got a scholarship to the University of Wales in the UK for two years where he acquired his first degree.


He came back to Kenya and taught in two more high schools which included his former school Kapsabet for seven years. He then went back to the UK for his masters at St Marks College. During that time, Kenyan universities and colleges were enrolling the first batch of the 8-4-4 education system. He was among those identified by the British Council Union to teach university students at that time. He therefore became a pioneer lecturer in teaching communication skills in 1990. The Communication Department was established and that’s how he ended up in Moi University.

Despite all he went through, he did not give up. He got educated even as an orphan. Many students in this institution have the same story. Others have the worst experiences in life. Many have given up in life because they see no light ahead. For this reason, they have gone to an extent of destroying their bodies.

They engage themselves into vices such as drug abuse and prostitution. Many of us tend to condemn them and hate their company. It is true that some youths do it out of peer pressure. This is not the case to everyone.

One evening, Davis (not his real name) was staggering hopelessly in the streets of Moi University while drunk. I was curious to know what the problem was. He told me that he did not want to have a sober mind since he hated to remember that he was then an orphan. Both his parents had died in a car crash.

There is a story behind every face. People have different experiences in life. Some are orphans while others come from poor backgrounds. Many have tried to escape their problems by involving themselves in antisocial behaviour. Do not escape your problems. If you made it this far and did not collapse then, you will make it. Let not any challenges put you off from achieving your goal.

Drinking and smoking do not help. Taking pity on oneself does not solve any problem. Plan with what you have without having to borrow and avoid unnecessary spending. For those fully stranded, take a step and talk to people. In Moi University – Main Campus, every school has a group of counsellors that can be approached.