A Kenyan man known as Hezzy Kinama, aka Divinely Favoured, walked across his graduation stage in worn-out white shoes, wearing no new clothes, to collect a First Class Honours degree in Finance.
However, the celebration that followed left him more heartbroken than the poverty that preceded it.
A Party Nobody Came To
Writing about his journey on social media, he recalled how his graduation day itself was simple and dignified in its own way.
His parents were the only family who came, and afterwards the three of them ate ugali and sukuma wiki before boarding a matatu back to Kangundo.
The day after graduation, Divinely Favoured had organised both a celebration and a fundraiser, hoping to raise enough money to enrol for his master’s degree.
He borrowed KSh 11,000 to cover costs, prepared food, ordered a cake, and extended invitations widely, including to local politicians.
Church Members Skipped Event
The church where he had grown up, served as a youth leader, and ministered had over 100 members. Fewer than 30 turned up. The politicians did not come at all.
“I expected to be shown love during that time by the church I fellowship,” he wrote, adding that the spread of food and the large cake sat largely untouched.
From the entire fundraiser, he collected KSh 21,000, out of which he used KSh 11,000 to repay what he had borrowed.
That left him with KSh 10,000 to begin postgraduate school, where fees exceeded KSh 300,000.
Stranger’s Cheque Changed Everything
What kept him going was an act of generosity from someone entirely outside his circle.
A person who was neither a church member nor a childhood friend gave him a cheque for KSh 50,000, which he used to enrol for his master’s degree.
He described sleeping hungry and struggling with rent during that period, yet he pushed through.
Even his wedding preparations later attracted opposition from people close to him, though he said God eventually made a way.
No Hard Feelings
Despite the hurt, he was careful not to frame his account as an attack on the church. He described himself as a staunch, born-again Christian, an evangelist and a Sunday school teacher, and said he held no grudge.
His concern was broader. “As a church we fail a lot, especially showing love to fellow brethren,” he wrote. “You failed me when I needed you, but I won’t give up on you.”
