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Security guard finally graduates from law school


Peterson Moturi is one of the few students who have arrived early for the graduation ceremony at the Kenya School of Law (KSL) on Friday.

Dressed in the usual graduation gown Mr Moturi somehow looks different from his colleagues due to the watchman uniform adorned inside the gown.

For him, this day is particularly special because it represents the struggles, pains and difficulties he had to go through to achieve his dream of becoming a lawyer.

“Ten years ago being a lawyer was just a dream for me. But now I know that dreams can be a reality if you believe and work hard to achieve them,” Mr Moturi said.

He graduated with a Diploma in law. Working as a watchman under local security firm Radar security Mr Moturi’s story is a true definition of the phrase hard work pays.
Coming from a humble background he moved to Nairobi in 2014 from Nyamira County to look for a better life for himself.

“I would hawk drinking water and groundnuts in the streets to make a living. At night, before I got the job as security personnel I would work at different car washes in the city,” he explains.
Since his goal was to join law school, he saved Sh50,000 which he used to pay for his admission to law school.

“I applied for admission at Kenya School of Law in 2016 and I was successful, but I could not go on with my studies because of lack of school fees. Luckily I was able to receive some help from Mr PLO Lumumba who was then the school director, he was able to offer me a scholarship,” he said.

He was then faced with the hard task of working at night and attending class during the day. When he sat for his final exams he, unfortunately, got a Pass, which hindered him from moving to the next stage which is attaining a law degree.

“Unfortunately I scored a Pass and I could not move ahead because in law I must attain at least a Credit to qualify for admission for a law degree. I had to reapply again for the diploma course,” he said.

The headache of where he was to get money for his tuition fees became another issue for him. Mr Moturi decided to approach his employer Radar security for help.
“I was honest with my boss and I told him that I did not pass, but since they promised to pay for my degree and right now that is impossible, why don’t they sponsor me to retake the diploma course, and they agreed,” he said.

“Now I am a joyful man. I am graduating with a credit score, it is a dream come true for me. I can now go ahead and pursue a law degree and become an advocate,” he said.
Mr Moturi desires to help the vulnerable in society access justice.