Girl Who Dropped Out Of School Over Murder Accusations Returns, Gets Full Scholarship To University

• Sophie Kalondu is a 22-year-old mother of one who is also a Form Three student at Kanjuu Secondary School in Kirinyaga county
• She dropped out of Form Two in 2019 after she was falsely accused of poisoning her neighbour's child
• The accusation, though false, painted her negatively before her classmates, and she was forced to quit studying because of being mocked

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

Sophie Kalondu, a Form Three student at Kanjuu Secondary School in Kirinyaga County, has narrated how murder accusations made her give up on education.

Who is Njeri Maina?

The 22-year-old went back to school in 2023 after four years of dropping out after she was accused of killing a Class One pupil she found unconscious on her way back to school.

In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Kalondu said she is currently in school, thanks to a bursary sponsorship by Kirinyaga woman representative Njeri Maina.

“I sat for my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations at Kanduri Primary School in Murang’a in 2017 and scored 205 marks. I then joined high school, and while at Form Two, something unfortunate happened that later saw me drop out of school,” she narrated.

She said that one evening, as she was walking from school, she found a visibly unconscious baby with foam emanating from the mouth along the way.

“The baby was with her young brother, who directed me to their home, where we rushed the sick sibling. The parents took the baby to hospital, but she unfortunately passed on. A postmortem report said the baby died from poisoning,” she recounted.

Sophie Kalondu's story

A few days later, Kalondu said the parents of the baby accused her of poisoning the baby, prompting police to arrest her and take her to Kaguku Police Post for grilling and recording of the statement.

According to Kalondu, the deceased baby’s parents claimed that she had fed the baby a poisoned mango.

“I was only 17 years old and orphaned, and the arrest really shook me. The police, however, found out that I was honest and not charged. The news was spread across media houses, and everywhere I went, I was presumed a killer, which made me lose my self-esteem,” recounted Kalondu.

She lost her mother when she was barely four years old and had to put up with her relatives.

Sophie Kalondu drops out of school

She said she could not face her schoolmates and decided to quit studying.

Kalondu subsequently moved to Thika in search of peace and tranquility.

She said the relatives she was staying with did not understand the magnitude of the mental pressure the murder accusations subjected them to.

“At Thika, I met a man who showed me love, and before we knew it, I was pregnant. The baby is now three years old. Despite having had new parental responsibilities, I felt that for me to take good care of my baby, I needed to return to school,” she said.

Kalondu’s dream was always to become a high school teacher.

“When the man left me with the baby, I came to Kirinyaga County hoping to start life afresh and with new responsibilities. A well-wisher had connected me to a foster family and graciously took me in with my baby,” Kalondu disclosed.

With the help of the foster parent, Kalondu met with the deputy principal of Kanjuu Secondary School, who was willing to give me a slot to continue with her studies in 2022.

“After I shared my story a secretary at the school who informed me about scholarships offered by Woman Representative Njeri Maina. I reached out to the team in charge and after vetting my case they pledged to take care of my fees.

High school age in Kenya

“I accepted to start afresh from Form One in 2022. Many people laughed at me because of my age and told me to go and get married and continue raising my baby. I ignored them because I knew I wanted a better future for myself and my daughter,” she said.

She told TUKO.co.ke that she stays with her foster family because she is a day scholar but visits her relatives during half-term and school holidays.

“My daughter's father abandoned me, but I am grateful that Maina Njeri has given me another chance by beginning to pay my fees and helping me to make things right. I am committed to making her proud because she picked me up when I was in need. I was the third best in my class last term,” Kalondu added.

What is Tupange Kesho scholarship?

Kalondu said the politician had pledged to pay her school fees until she completed university.

“I am happy that I am a beneficiary of her scholarship, Tupange Kesho, and I believe that my life and my family will improve once I graduate as I have a sponsor who believes in me. It's a full scholarship from Form 3,” she clarified.

TUKO.co.ke established that Maina issued bursaries worth KSh 2.7 million to learners across the county on Saturday, April 20, at an event at Kutus Primary School.

Maina, whom Senator James Murango accompanied, said the scholarship aimed to meet marginalised women and youths at their point of need.

“The Tupange Kesho programme meets these groups at their pain points. Despite having little funds as women representatives, the beneficiaries present are a testament enough to how impactful this programme is.

"There is a pertinent need to increase allocation to the office of the woman representative so that we can expand our reach and impact on other groups across society,” Njeri said.

She also donated 45 (100-seater) tents, 25 (5000-litre) tanks, and 1135 plastic seats and injected capital into women's and youth groups.

Maina also gave scholarships worth KSh 1 million to orphans and learners with disabilities.

The former musician-turned-politician said she had injected at least KSh 5 million in capital to support over 139 women and youth groups in Kirinyaga.

Maina, who is passionate about education, called out the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) over a mix-up of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.