after arriving in Kenya, I found out that
the Head of Department of Political
Science and Public Administration had
not even received my application
documents yet I had sent them by
registered mail. But the records from the
post office showed that someone at the
department had received them about
two weeks prior to my arrival. He
promised to find them and asked me to
return the next morning. I was there
before he arrived. As we walked to his
office he informed me that was yet to
receive my documents. However, I
immediately saw a folder that looked
familiar on his desk. I knew it was
mine. He too was shocked at how it had
mysteriously shown up on his desk. He
conducted a short interview and told me
he will review my documents and get
back to me with a decision.
After 1 week I received a call informing
me that the department had agreed to
hire me and I would be getting my letter
of appointment in a few weeks. It was
February and classes were starting in
March. I had only one month to prepare
my syllabus and lectures. I hurriedly
shopped for books and started preparing
as I waited for my letter. I worked for
long hours every day preparing the
lectures during the month of February
even though I had not yet received the
appointment letter. On every single day
of the month I went to the post office to
check the letter. By the end of the month
I had not received it. March was here
and classes had started but no appointment letter. I thought maybe the start
date for classes had been postponed. I
called the head of department but he
was not responding. I was getting
frustrated because it was the only job I
had applied to. It started to seem as if I
was never meant to be part of any
college in Kenya, neither as a student
nor as a member of faculty. Fortunately,
after several attempts of calling I got
through to him. I was shocked when the
same person that called me to tell me
they had hired me told me to stop
disturbing him and never to call him
again. That was the end of pursuing that
opportunity. I was back to the struggle
in Kenya.
IDEA DIAPORA 32
My fall back plan was the PhD applications that I made. I was desperate and so
I entered into a period of fasting and
prayer to ask for God to be present in
the deliberations that would take place
in the four universities I had applied to.
In the meantime, out of desperation, I
started searching for teaching jobs in
community colleges. I visited about 10
of them offering to teach for any
amount of money they could pay me. It
was hard to believe that with all the
education I had I could not get even one
teaching position. I gave up and decided
to wait and see what God would do with
the PhD applications. I was rather sure
He would not educate me that much and
leave me stranded. In the beginning of
April I started getting good news of
admission in the PhD programs. By the
end of April I found out that I had been
accepted to all the four PhD programs
that I had applied to. Even better my
first choice (University of Florida) had
awarded me a prestigious fellowship
with the highest stipend offered by the
department of Political Science. I had
also been contacted by my assigned
advisor with some good news.
He had included me in a grant proposal
that would possibly give me dissertation
funding. At that timeI took this offer for
granted since I did not know how
difficult it was to get dissertation
funding. When I started the program in
2007 I found out that it was unusual for
PhD students in Political Science to
have a promise for dissertation funding
before they even start. In about one and
a half years of starting my PhD this
promise became a reality. In 2009, in
my second year I had been awarded my
pre-dissertation research funding, and
dissertation writing funding. I was not
better than most students that still didn't
know where they would get their
pre-dissertation research funding. I was
surrounded by 3rd year and 4th year, as
well as some 5th year students that were
looking for these funds. I could have
been in the same pool. It is only by the
grace and favor of God that I had been
awarded these opportunities.
These overflowing opportunities
reminded me of the 7 year struggle I
had gone through to get a diploma. In
about the same amount of time I was
about to acquire more education without
the struggles for tuition. I just had to
work hard in class rather than out of
class looking for money. In 2010 I
received another Master’s degree and in
May 2013 I received my PhD.
Without the power and strength of God
I may not have completed the PhD. I
had so many sincere conversations with
Him during that time where I wanted
Him to confirm that I had to complete it.
His financial and nonfinancial provisions confirmed that He was continuing
to work in my favor. Throughout the six