Nairobi: Woman Who Lost Eyesight After Bouts Of Meningitis Graduates In Colourful Ceremony

• Brunehilda Wanga Ooko was over the moon after finally graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Development Studies degree
• Wanga shared with TUKO.co.ke how she was born strong and healthy, but sadly, she suffered meningitis twice, which robbed her of her eyesight in 2015
• During the same year, she lost her dear mum and was depressed because she missed her mother's love, but she still got back on her feet, and now she is doing her internship

Finally, the moment Brunehilda Wanga Ooko has been waiting for has arrived, and she is now a proud graduate of Gender and Development Studies despite losing her eyesight as a teen.

Wanga joins Kenyatta University for gender studies

In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Wanga shared that she was born strong, healthy, and could see properly till November 2015, when she lost her sight after a meningitis attack twice within the same year.

"I lost my eyesight sight when I was in Form Three at St Mary's Mumias High School in 2015, which led me to drop out of school for a whole year in 2016. In 2017, I joined Kibos Special School, where I learnt Braille for two months at primary level and later joined secondary school in May in Form Three," said the indefatigable woman.

"I finished in 2018 where I passed and was the first person from the school to go to university. Then after my high school level, I joined Machakos Technical Institute for the Blind to pursue computer packages for three months.I later joined Kenyatta University and pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Development Studies; I finally graduated in second class upper in 2023," she said proudly.

Wanga loses her mum, eyesight in 2015

Good fortune has been following Wanga, who is currently undergoing an internship program under the Public Service Commission. She works in the Department of Kenya Prison Service under the gender docket.

" I lost my mum the same year I lost my eyesight. I was depressed as I had to go through this journey without a mum. I am, however, grateful to my father who stood by me and educated me," she said.

"I do most things for her. You know there are things that will need my attention as a lady and there are others that will need the father's attention," said her caring elder sister who is so proud of her.

Blind Kenyan mom pleads for second shot at education

In another story, Carol Muroki became blind as a teenager and had a rough time accepting her condition.

Muroki became blind when she was just about to sit her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

She has been seeking help to get her certificate so she can fend for her five-year-old daughter.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke