Whenever schools close for the April, August and December holidays, some teachers usually turn to modern technology to keep learning alive. They send assignments through WhatsApp groups, with students expected to submit their work when schools reopen for a new term.
In most households, it is parents who receive these notifications on their phones and help their children revise. But in one family in Radiro Village, Homa Bay Town, the situation was strikingly different - almost a reversal of roles.
Last year, when teachers from Orero Boys High School sent out assignments to one of their learners through his parents’ phone, it was not the son who relied on the father. Instead, the father became the student, and the child the teacher.
George Ochieng Okumu seized the opportunity presented by his son’s assignments to prepare for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Thirty-three years after he last stepped out of a classroom, he sat the national examinations alongside thousands of learners who had spent four uninterrupted years in school.
For Mr Okumu, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, one he was determined not to waste. He embraced every moment, determined to grasp whatever he could and compete with candidates young enough to be his children.
“Besides revising from the phone, I would also take my son’s notes and read them. We were like study mates,” he said with pride.
Brennon Arsen Ochieng got a B- in the 2025 KCSE exams. His father did the same exam and got a D+.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation
His son, Brennon Arsen Ochieng, sat his KCSE examinations at Orero Boys High School in Rangwe and attained a mean grade of B (minus) in the recently released results.
Mr Okumu, confident that discipline and support would carry him through, earned a D+ (plus).
For years, his dream had been simple and unwavering: to one day hold a university certificate. But that dream could not begin without a Form Four certificate - the one document that had eluded him for decades.
That longing drove him to sit with his son during school holidays, absorbing lessons from a child who was academically far ahead of him.
“Whenever the assignments were sent to my phone, I would first go through them before discussing the questions with my son,” Mr Okumu said.
Now 50, Mr Okumu works as a public service vehicle operator along the Mbita–Homa Bay road. His own secondary school education never materialised. He sat his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 1992 but could not proceed to secondary school due to poverty.
“I was depending on the support of one of my teachers, who had promised to pay my school fees. But she died before I joined Form One. Her death cut off all my dreams,” he recalled
For four years, he remained at home with little to do before joining the National Youth Service (NYS) in 1996 - the first real turning point in his life. At NYS, he learnt driving, a skill that would shape his working years.
The cost of a missing certificate
He was later employed as a security guard at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he worked for 15 years. Eventually, he left in search of better opportunities, only to find doors repeatedly closed because he lacked a Form Four certificate.
“That is when I truly realised how important the certificate was. It could have opened many other opportunities for me,” he said.
In 2018, Mr Okumu enrolled as a private candidate, hoping to finally secure the qualification. However, his results were withheld for reasons that were never clearly explained.
Seven years later, inspired by his son’s discipline and determination, he tried again. He registered as a private candidate at St Ambrose Got Rabuor Secondary School in Homa Bay Town, this time taking extra care to ensure his details were properly captured by the Kenya National Examination Council.
He studied with renewed focus, not only to appear in the records but to earn a grade that would allow him to advance to university.
“Whenever my son was at home, I consulted him on some topics. I knew he understood some areas better, and he had to help me,” he said.
His eldest daughter, who is set to graduate from Kabarak University this year, also played a crucial role, supporting him during revision.
When the KCSE results were released on Friday, the family marked the moment with a celebration - not just of grades, but of resilience, faith and deferred dreams reclaimed.
Arsen said he was proud of his father’s determination and hard work, adding that he felt no shame sitting the examinations at the same time as him.
“Many learners were in school for four years and got the same grade as my father, who left the classroom three decades ago. It shows that he is someone who can achieve a lot,” Arsen said.
Beyond driving, Mr Okumu is also an official of the Orange Democratic Movement party, serving as chairperson of the political outfit in Homa Bay Town West ward.
Now, he has set his sights on a new academic goal for 2026. Being from Homa Bay, he hopes to enrol at Tom Mboya University and pursue a course that will finally place his name on a university certificate.
“I will consult and find out how to achieve this dream, even if it means starting from the very lowest level,” he said.
For Mr Okumu, the classroom is no longer a place left behind by poverty and loss. It is a space he has reclaimed - patiently, bravely, and with the quiet guidance of his own children.
