Caren Murugi, a 25-year-old diploma journalism student at NIBS College in Ruiru, Kiambu, stood along Thika Road on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, holding a handwritten placard and appealing to strangers for financial help to stay in school.
The second-year student is staring down a KSh 25,500 school fees balance, three months of unpaid rent and a KSh 10,000 examination fee, with her diploma completion date set for December 2026.
Caren’s path to this moment was already difficult long before she found herself on a highway with a marker pen and manila paper.
Caren returns home to work in farm
Her father passed away when she was around 16 years old, and she never had the chance to know him.
Her mother had been covering her college fees when Caren first enrolled, but personal hardships at home forced her to defer her studies.
During the period she was away from school, she returned home and worked through the coffee harvest season, saving whatever she could.
When did Caren return to school after deferring?
Once she felt she had saved enough, she made the decision on her own to go back to college, informing her mother before she left.
She paid her school fees and covered three months of rent in one go upon re-enrolling, sometime between June and July 2026.
What she did not anticipate was running out of money before her course ended. Because she had taken herself back to school without leaning on her mother, she felt she could not call home to ask for help.
When did Caren go to Thika Road?
On the afternoon of October 7, Caren walked out of class, picked up a piece of manila paper and a marker pen, and headed to Thika Road.
It was the first time she had ever stood on a highway holding a sign, and by her own admission, it was one of the hardest decisions she had ever made.
Some content creators happened to pass by and asked whether they could film her. She agreed, and the footage was later shared on TikTok by FAGILIATV, quickly drawing attention online.
Caren receives multiple calls after viral video
Though several people called after seeing the video, most were calling to confirm whether it was genuinely her rather than to offer assistance.
By the time the story gained traction, she had received approximately KSh 370 via M-Pesa.
Despite the weight of her situation, Caren remained resolute. “God will come through,” she said, which summed up both her faith and her determination to finish what she started.
