At 18, Valary has become a symbol of hope for girls in Kibera, Africa’s second-largest informal settlement, marked by extreme poverty.
Otieno Valary Akinyi began studying Law in June at Strathmore University, thanks to the MACHEO PLUS scholarship from Harambee NGO, funded by a donor.
Otieno Valary Akinyi began her Bachelor of laws degree in June at Strathmore University, thanks to the MACHEO
Breaking statistics, defying fate, and paving the way for thousands of girls who today only see a future conditioned by poverty. That is the feat of Otieno Valary Akinyi, an 18-year-old born and raised in the village of Raila, within the informal settlement of Kibera (Nairobi, Kenya).
This June, Valary crossed the threshold of Strathmore University for the first time to pursue a Law degree, a milestone that seemed unattainable for a family surviving in a context of very limited financial resources, with six children.
His journey would not have been possible without his own titanic effort and the initial support of Strathmore University’s Macheo (Swahili for Dawn) program, which prepares high school students with classes and mentoring for their access to university.
Valary vividly recalls how this life-changing opportunity began. “I joined Macheo when I was in my second year of secondary school. We used to attend classes here in Strathmore on Saturdays from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. In addition to classroom lessons, we also had mentoring and one-on-one sessions with our mentors.” Thanks to this consistent support, Valary became the top student in her 2025 graduating class , achieving an impressive average grade of B+ (highest honors) on the KCSE national exam.
A lifeline financed from Spain
However, academic excellence wasn’t enough to overcome the economic barrier. University tuition was completely unaffordable for her parents, whose income is insufficient to cover the well-being and education of their six children. Her mother works as a sales assistant in a cereal shop, earning about 54 euros a month, and her father is a street vendor.
The turning point came through the Macheo Plus Scholarship program of Harambee NGO. A donor fully funded all four years of her degree. In a moving thank-you letter sent to the NGO’s headquarters in Madrid, Valary explains the impact of this opportunity:
“My acceptance into law school is a true blessing and a dream come true, but financial limitations presented a significant obstacle. The cost of tuition would have been a huge burden for my family, and I would have struggled to keep up with the payments. Your support is a lifeline that will allow me to focus and achieve my goals of becoming a lawyer to serve my community and help deliver justice.” “I will dedicate myself fully and diligently to my studies to live up to this privilege and graduate within four years.”
For her parents, the news of the scholarship has been a radical turning point and the end of a silent anguish. Raising a daughter in an environment like Kibera presents extreme challenges. Her mother, Esther Apin, starkly recounts the reality of the neighborhood and her initial concern about all the dangers of living in such a marginalized area. “She started telling us about her dreams when she was in seventh or eighth grade. When you asked her, ‘What would you like to be?’ she would answer, ‘I would like to be a lawyer.’ Looking at our financial situation, I constantly wondered how I was going to pay for my daughter’s college education. Now I feel a great sense of relief in my heart, and we have high hopes that in the future she will be able to help her siblings and other people in the community.”
For his part, his father, John Otieno, a street vendor who struggles daily to support his large family, expresses the deep gratitude they feel towards the benefactors in Spain. “I sincerely thank God for this great step forward in my daughter’s life. I also wholeheartedly thank the donor for their generosity in sponsoring her university education. May God bless them abundantly and always grant them the desires of their heart.”
The contagion effect in classrooms
The impact of the Macheo Plus scholarship from Harambee NGO goes far beyond Valary’s personal journey; in recent years several young people have been able to benefit from this scholarship, thanks to donors who commit to covering the entire degree and who receive an annual report on the student’s progress.
Stories like those of these young people, and specifically Valary’s, act as a catalyst for structural change, because in the Kibera slum, young people face a shortage of schools and serious problems of social exclusion.
Claris Omondi, director of the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy —the free secondary school where young Valary studied—, highlights the “contagion effect” already being experienced in the classrooms: “This scholarship is a huge motivation for all the students at our school, seeing that one of their classmates has the opportunity to study Law at a prestigious university like Strathmore.”
Valary is now facing her first year with unwavering determination and enthusiastically shares her first impressions on campus: “So far, the journey has been fantastic. I’ve met new people, interacted with new classmates, and the environment makes me feel like I’m really on my way to achieving my dream of becoming a lawyer.”
Valary’s story exemplifies the comprehensive social impact that Harambee NGO strives for. By facilitating access to university education for talented young people, it not only transforms their lives but also empowers them to shape their own destinies and influence their families and communities. The engine of development is ignited by these young people determined to prepare for a better future and improve their country, thanks in part to the support of Harambee NGO.
This article was first published: https://www.sotodelamarina.com/2026/07/Q1/20260712Otieno_Valary_Akinyi.htm
