*"Being strong at times of hardship makes you make it out", says Felix*

By Maureen Sambu (June 2011)

‘Life is at its best described as an illusion’, those are words Felix Kilonzo. Felix is among young students who have had their story neglected. He looks charistimatic and a little bit nervous when I met him for interview. He is currently a student at the Mount Kenya University (2011).

 Felix was born in on 1st January 21 years ago (2011) and is the last born of the family of  3 of the late Mr. and Mrs. Kilonzo of Machakos district currently Machakos county. Like any other child, he attended his elementary education at various schools namely St.Monica preparatory school in Kajiado County and Mung’ala Primary School 1997 before his mother transferring him to kyumbi primary in 1999.

Asked why he transferred from school to school, he says, ‘my mother wanted I get closer to her because she thought I was getting out of hand.’

The year 1999 to Felix, remain a year that made him what he is perusing today. He realized his dream. And as he says, “the journey into writing articles began”. His mother is believed to be a role model as she devoted herself in making sure that young Kilonzo is what the world could rely on.

His father passed on in 1999 and a year later, in 2000, a tragedy hit again.  His mother too passed on rendering the boy a total orphan, It’s a tragedy that he could not talk about it in length as it seems to return the sorrow which had long gone. He lost his mother to TB pandemic barely 6months after the death of his father and this was the darkest part of his life.

Great hopes of life wasted, dream almost shuttered and  confidence gone. With the loosing of his father it proved to be a turning point in his life. He says, ‘ I felt like I was traumatized. I pitied myself because I felt like the world was against me.’

He talks of realization of his dream to be a writer and a journalist in 2000, when his late mother Rose realized that he was keen on the national debate.

The young boy of 10 years suddenly drops out of school since he did not have a guardian. The society left him to go on his own and he notes that not all relatives care about you.

In 2002, In  the month of June, Mr. Ndirangu, who is the founder and director of Leaders Group of schools offered Kilonzo scholarship for primary education in his school. Talking of determination Kilonzo made every minute count and it was that made him score overwhelmingly well in 2004 Kenya certificate of primary Education (KCPE) with 431 marks out of possible 500, with strong points in Kiswahili 89, science 98, and Geography, History and civics 91. Lenana School one of the most achievers in the field of education invited Kilonzo as their members however that never happened as he opted for Machakos School.

Area MP, Daudi Mwanzia supported him for three years until Form 3 supplementing the bursary funds. Sadly, in 2007 in the run up of general election Mwanzia lost his parliamentary seat to an enthusiastic Dr. Victor Munyaka, this left Kilonzo with huge fees arrears which forced him to drop out of school yet the second time. With Mwanzia’s withdrawal from the funding presented Kilonzo with the opportunity to work his mind out and used the available resources to make it possible to complete the education.

In the early 2008, a woman working with an NGO visited the school. She wanted to offset fees arrears of the student who was badly pressed and again it was Kilonzo. As many could say, at the beginning of the road there must be an end. Kilonzo left high school with a grade of B-

According to Kilonzo writing was more than just putting letters and words on paper. Writing is a mode of communication and so he was manned with responsibility of making sure he learns to do that. Felix’s life is like one of the few unsung heroes of or society. He has came a long way, and 12years on after loosing his parents in a successive deaths, he has turned out to be a strong man who has always dared to touch some of the sensitive topics depicting human interest.

He says that the world is never unfair but the people are the ones who are unfair to each other. The inverse is seldom true. He says, “do not just write, write critically. Do not just report but report passionately. Show concern, involvement and caring”.

He jokes, “I hardly carry a writing material in my fieldwork and after the talk I will be able to remember what we had been talking about!”

 

Editted version of the Maureen sambu’s Story written in June 2011