For Kevin Okoth Okinda, two photographs separated by 13 years carry a weight that words alone cannot fully capture.
The first was taken in 2013 at Maseno University in Kenya, where a younger Okinda was still laying the groundwork for what would become a long and determined journey.
From Maseno University to UK
The second was snapped in 2026 aboard an Avanti train travelling through England’s Midlands, moments after he had walked out of a successful job interview.
Okinda posted the paired photographs on social media, reflecting on everything that had unfolded between those two moments.
He earned a master’s degree from Lancaster University Management School in December 2024, a milestone that helped position him for professional life in the UK as a skilled worker.
The job he recently secured will be his second skilled worker role abroad since completing that postgraduate qualification, a progression that speaks to both the quality of his academic preparation and the persistence required to build a career abroad.
Journey Grounded in Faith
The contrast between the two images is striking. In the 2013 photograph, Okinda is a university student in Kenya with years of study, sacrifice and uncertainty still ahead of him.
In the 2026 photograph, he is seated on an intercity train in the Midlands, celebrating a professional breakthrough that the younger version of himself could not have mapped out with any certainty.
While the story is one of academic and professional achievement, Okinda was careful not to frame it purely as personal success.
He closed his social media post with the hashtag #toHimbealltheglory, making clear that he attributes his progress to God rather than to his own efforts alone.
That grounding in faith gives his story a dimension beyond the career milestones. It is the account of someone who has navigated the demanding process of job applications in an unfamiliar system and came through it with a sense of gratitude rather than pride.
His journey will speak directly to the many Kenyan graduates who are considering a similar path, particularly those who understand the emotional and practical weight of rebuilding a professional life from scratch in another country.
For Okinda, the photos are evidence that the years between them were not wasted, and that the road ahead still has more chapters to come.
