Dr. Keraa Maurine Nyaberi
I am Keraa Maurine Nyaberi. I was born and brought up in a nuclear family of four. My dad passed when I was 4 years old. My mum, who was jobless, was forced to relocate upcountry. I dropped out of school since my mum couldn’t manage to pay my fees at primary level. Fortunately, a good Samaritan offered to pay all my school fees from class 6 to class 8, and I did well on my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam in 2009. I received a calling letter to join St. Francis Rang'ala Girls, a provincial school, but my mum’s source of income was unstable and she could not afford the fees. I vividly remember, I was to report on 3rd January 2010. Hopelessness settled in and I couldn’t bear the sight of my peers reporting to school. I only had two options, get married or take up a job as house help. I was sad. All my efforts to attain good grades were going into waste. My hopes and dreams were fading away.
I kept on praying to God to do something in my life. Finally, God sent someone several weeks after all the students had joined form one. He visited our home and I explained to him my situation. Little did I know he was sent by God to deliver some miracle. The next thing I knew, I had travelled to Nairobi and was interviewing at St. Aloysius. I was accepted to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, and this was to be my second miracle. A new chapter was opening in my life, and I had to stay with my aunt in Kibera slums. Life was unbearable, but I kept going. The difficulties and prayers kept me going. At times I doubted whether I was really loved. In form 2 I had to move out of my aunt’s house, and I was accommodated by a well-wisher. Nobody believed that I would make it in life and some even thought I was a bad omen. I thank St. Aloysius Gonzaga fraternity for the endless support and filling the void to ensure I felt loved and appreciated. St. Aloysius was the father and mother figures in my life. In 2013 I sat for my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and emerged the best student. This came as a surprise and it was my third miracle.
Life has taught me one vital lesson: I realized poverty was just a societal limitation, we were low income but not poor. My family’s low-income status wasn’t a barrier, but rather a launching pad to motivate and propel my success. My life has been a testimony, a miracle to say the least. I have learned the fruits of hard work and thus have flourished in my academic life. After graduating, I took up a degree course in Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery. It’s a decision that has changed the entire course of my life.
Thanks to Fr. Terry Charlton, Harambee’s Grow A Doc program, and well-wishers at St. Aloysius Gonzaga secondary school, I navigated through the medical school and I have flourished in my studies. Seven years later I have graduated as a medical doctor having just taken the Hippocratic Oath in March 2021 as Dr. Keraa Maurine Nyaberi! Thanks to all who have sacrificed their resources to support my dream. To Fr. Terry Charlton and St. Al’s fraternity, you found me at a time when I needed light to shine in the darkest part of my path to be what God made me to be. You found me and brought hope to my fragile heart. My dreams have come true because of you. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face. Thanks to the benefactors for your contributions to the scholarship program at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School. Your generosity is really making a difference.