Sixteen-year-old Lucy Mwalimu Hinzano and her elder brother Stephen Mwalimu Hinzano, 17, together with their mother Emily Charo at their Malindi home, Kilifi County on Tuesday, January, 20, 2026 where they appealed for help to enabled them join High School as their mother Emmy Charo can’t afford school fees while their father Mwalimu Hinzano is serving 20 years in jail for defilement. Photo by Ben Okweingoti. 
By Ben Okweingoti.
As the deadline for Grade 10 admissions draws to a close, two siblings from Malindi Sub County are staring at the painful prospect of missing out on their senior school education—not for lack of merit, but because of poverty brought on by their father’s imprisonment.
Sixteen-year-old Lucy Mwalimu Hinzano and her elder brother Stephen Mwalimu Hinzano, 17, have each secured coveted Grade 10 placements at Moi Forces Academy in Mombasa and St George’s Senior School in Kaloleni, respectively. However, their dreams now hang in the balance as their family is unable to raise the more than Sh100,000 required for school fees and basic admission requirements.
The two siblings performed impressively in last year’s Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), with Lucy scoring 45 points and Stephen 49 points, earning them places in the competitive senior schools.
Their challenges stem from the incarceration of their father, Mwalimu Hinzano, who was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for defiling a 13-year-old girl. The family maintains that the case was a frame-up but says it was unable to pursue an appeal due to financial constraints.
A visit by journalists to their Kijiwetanga home on the outskirts of Malindi town revealed a family weighed down by hardship and uncertainty. Lucy and Stephen were found helping their mother with domestic chores, a stark contrast to the bright academic futures now under threat.
“My father’s incarceration has placed me at a great disadvantage,” Lucy said. “My mother does menial jobs to support me and my six siblings, but she cannot raise the required school fees.”
Stephen echoed his sister’s sentiments, saying he is determined to overcome the odds and pursue his education so that he can one day support his family. Lucy dreams of becoming a medical doctor, while Stephen aspires to be a teacher.
Their mother, Ms Emmy Charo, a mother of seven, says she has shouldered the responsibility of raising the children alone since her husband was jailed. Without a stable source of income, she survives by washing clothes and doing odd jobs in nearby households.
“I move from house to house washing clothes to take care of my children,” Ms Charo said. “I have struggled to educate them up to Grade Nine, but now I am overwhelmed. I am appealing to well-wishers to come through for my children.”
She added that the family’s financial struggles have already taken a toll, forcing three of her older children to drop out of school to look for menial work, while two others are still in junior school.
As the clock ticks towards the close of admissions, Lucy and Stephen are now appealing to well-wishers, sponsors, and education stakeholders to help them secure their Grade 10 places and keep their dreams alive.
