By Elias Makori, Managing Editor
For nearly two decades, Emily Chepng'eno’s world was measured in kilogrammes of green tea leaves and the agonizing math of a Sh50 daily wage. Working the damp, misty hills of Kericho County as a single mother, her backbreaking labour could barely guarantee a hot meal at night, let alone the school fees required to give her children a future.
The ultimate heartbreak came when her eldest daughter, Jackline, had to shelve her own university dreams, stepping aside so that their meagre family earnings could be focused entirely on keeping her younger brother, Dennis Kipkoech, in a high school classroom.
That sacrifice finally bears fruit next week when Kipkoech officially reports to Kabianga University after scoring an impressive ‘B’ grade. For Emily, watching her son prepare for higher education is the shattering of a generational curse that once felt completely unbreakable.
The 18-year-old Kipkoech will walk through the gates of Kabianga University, carrying not just a mattress and a metal box, but the defied odds of a family and the collective goodwill of strangers. For a boy who not long ago sat in the classrooms of Kapmaso High School believing his life had ground to a halt, the moment is nothing short of a miracle.
Dennis Kipkoech during an interview at Kapmaso Secondary School in Belgut during his final year in high school last year. Kipkoech is joining Kabianga University next week after benefitting from the Joe Sang Foundation's high school scholarship programme. (Photo / Elias Makori)
Armed with the strong ‘B’ grade from his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, Kipkoech is finally transitioning into higher education — an achievement that seemed entirely impossible just a few years ago.
Pushing Body to Absolute Limit
Chepngeno’s immense maternal resilience found a powerful ally in former Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang and his foundation, which stepped in to clear her son’s high school fees and unlock his academic potential.
To ensure that mothers like Emily never have to choose between food and their children’s education again, Joe Sang takes to the streets for the grueling Sydney Marathon on Sunday morning (from 12.30am, Kenyan time).
The "Running CEO" is pushing his body to the absolute limit on the global stage, converting physical suffering and elite endurance into a financial lifeline for Kenya’s needy students.
Sunday's exhausting 42-kilometre race in Australia is a direct answer to the prayers offered in the tea fields of Kericho, proving that when executive leadership carries the burdens of single mothers, the trajectories of entire families are transformed forever.
The mathematics of survival in the Chepng'eno household were unforgiving. Kipkoech and his two sisters, Jackline Chepkurui and Mercy Chepkemoi, grew up knowing the biting ache of empty stomachs. The hunger was not just a physical pain; for Kipkoech, it was a dark cloud that threatened to choke his academic aspirations.
The situation grew so desperate that the family had to make a heartbreaking compromise. Jackline, Kipkoech’s elder sister, made the painful choice to put her own university dreams on absolute hold. She stepped back, allowing her mother to channel every single available cent toward keeping her younger brother in high school.
Jackline Chepkurui (left) and Dennis Kipkoech join their mother Emily Chepng'eno at a tea plantation in Kericho where she works as a tea plucker. 'I’ve been coming to this farm since 2009 to pick tea because life is hard, especially when it comes to paying school fees for my children,' says Chepng'eno. (Photo / Elias Makori
My Mother’s Struggles Were Tough
During a family interview, the weight of that sacrifice became too heavy to bear as Jackline broke down and wept, the raw emotion reflecting the silent agony of thousands of Kenyan youth trapped in poverty.
“My mother’s struggles were tough. At times we would find no food at home to eat and she was the only one struggling for us… the hunger posed a serious challenge to my education,” Kipkoech reflected.
“I’ve been coming to this farm since 2009 to pick tea because life is hard, especially when it comes to paying school fees for my children,” Chepng'eno, a single mother, explained at the time, as she completed the day’s shift.
“I have worked so hard until one of my daughters has completed high school, but I feel like I should push her to advance more in education. Due to my struggles, I have decided to focus on the boy (Dennis) and let him finish school first, because what we get in tea harvesting is too little to sustain all of them.
“You get a meagre 50 shillings which I divide into school fees and buying food for the family,” she narrated as her daughter Chepkurui broke down and wept emotionally.
The Turning Point
Yet, amid this gloom of the Kericho tea plantations, Kipkoech possessed an inescapable spark.
On the dusty pitches of Kapmaso Secondary School, he was a wizard with a football. His exceptional skill, speed, and vision on the pitch earned him the nickname "Messi" from local coaches and peers. But talent alone cannot pay for a school uniform or settle a balance at the bursar’s office. Kipkoech was on the verge of dropping out entirely, poised to join the cycle of casual labor that had bound his family for generations.
Then came the turning point. The Joe Sang Foundation stepped into the picture, clearing Kipkoech’s high school fees and lifting the crushing financial anchor from Emily Chepng'eno’s shoulders. Secure in the classroom and energized on the pitch, Kipkoech flourished. The intervention did more than just buy textbooks; it restored dignity to a household and allowed a young man to dream again.
Titus Rono emerges from his house in Belgut where he, his parents and siblings live in challenging conditions. Rono, a Form Four student at Kapmaso Secondary School, is a beneficiary of the Joe Sang Foundation's high school scholarship programme. (Photo / Elias Makori)
The architect behind this lifeline is Joe Sang, the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Pipeline Company. Known in corporate and athletic circles as the "Running CEO," Sang has masterfully turned his personal passion for long-distance running into a vehicle of hope for Kenya’s most vulnerable children. Hailing from Kericho himself, Sang grew up witnessing the very struggles that Emily Chepng'eno faces daily.
Ticking Clock of School Fee Deadlines
The foundation, which launched with a grand vision to raise Sh200 million, targets the education of needy children countrywide. High-profile figures, including Treasury Cabinet Secretary James Mbadi and Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba, have rallied behind the cause. Both policymakers have openly shared how they, too, were products of well-wishers and charity when their own families could not afford school fees, underlining the profound national importance of Sang's mission.
To fuel this noble initiative, Sang places his own body on the line, pounding asphalt across the globe. Having previously conquered the Chicago Marathon and shaved down his personal marathon records at the Berlin Marathon, and improved half-marathon times Nairobi City Marathon alongside his training partners, Sang is constantly searching for the next finish line that translates into school fees.
This Sunday, the Running CEO takes to the streets once again, this time at the Sydney Marathon, running with the singular purpose of raising funds to ensure more students like Kipkoech do not have their potential cut short by poverty. Every stride he takes on the international stage directly counters the ticking clock of school fee deadlines back home.
Joe Sang stretches in Sydney on Friday ahead of Sunday's (August 30) Sydney Marathon in which he is running to raise funds for the Joe Sang Foundation in aid of needy Kenyan children. (Photo / Joe Sang Foundation)
For Kipkoech, the impact of those miles run thousands of kilometres away is profoundly real. As he prepares to report to Kabianga University next week, he stands as a living testament to what happens when corporate leadership meets grassroots empathy.
His journey is no longer just about survival; it is about transformation. The boy nicknamed "Messi" for his footwork is now stepping onto a much larger field, carrying the hopes of his mother, the selfless sacrifice of his sister Jackline, and the ultimate validation of a community that refused to let him fail.
Kipkoech will be studying Education Science at Kabianga University, chasing his dream of becoming a teacher. Thanks to the Joe Sang Foundation’s support, he focused on his education at Kapmaso scoring well in all his subjects at last year's exams with his final, aggregate ‘B’ score reading: Kiswahili (B); English (C+); CRE (B); History (C+); Biology (C+); Chemistry (B); Maths (A-) and Physics (C+).
Heavy Burden Finally Feels Lighter
“I’m grateful to Joe Sang for the support through the Joe Sang Foundation. It really helped me a great deal and now I can chase my dream at Kabianga University,” Kipkoech appreciated on Saturday.
“I wish him well as he runs the Sydney Marathon tomorrow (Sunday). Tunaomba ajikaze (we pray he pushes himself). I wish him the best,” says Kipkoech whose football skills have landed him an amateur contract at local regional league club Kapchebet FC.
At Sunday's Sydney Marathon, Joe Sang (centre) will run alongside Nairobi businessman John Terer (right) and Alvin Mbugua, General Manager (Spirits) at East African Breweries Limited (left). (Photo / Joe Sang Foundation)
As Emily Chepng’eno watches her son pack his bags for university, the heavy burden she carried through the tea fields for decades finally feels lighter. The Sh50 a day may still be the reality of the plantation, but her son's future is no longer tethered to it.
Watching Kipkoech step onto a university campus is the ultimate validation of her selflessness; her sacrifice was not in vain. Through the resilience of a single mother, the athletic endurance of a corporate CEO, and the unwavering determination of a young scholar, the cycle of poverty has been decisively broken.
“Kongoi mising! Kongoi bamwae! (Thank you very much! Thank you, friend!). I’m very grateful to him (Joe Sang) and I thank God for everything,” Chepng’eno celebrated in Kipsigis with his son translating, just as Sang prepared to take to the streets of Sydney to help another young Kenyan student realize the dream of a good education.
At Sunday's marathon, Sang will run alongside Nairobi businessman John Terer, with whom he conquered the Chicago and Berlin courses, and Alvin Mbugua, General Manager (Spirits) at East African Breweries Limited.
elias.makori@ymail.com
Dennis Kipkoech's journey to Kabianga University illustrates the impact of the Joe Sang Foundation in alleviating the financial burdens of families in Kericho County. To support these educational initiatives, Joe Sang participates in the Sydney Marathon to raise funds for needy students across Kenya.
To support this initiative, donations can be made securely via M-Pesa or direct bank transfer:
Bank transfer:
Account Name: Joe Sang Foundation
Bank: Cooperative Bank
Account Number: 01101217532001
M-Pesa:
Paybill No: 400200
Acc. Number: 0560285782372
Official Enquiries & Sponsorships:
Contact the Foundation Secretariat at: info@joesangfoundation.org
Joe Sang's preparations for Sydney Marathon in pictures (all photos: Joe Sang Foundation):
