Four years after a KES 1,000 errand landed him in jail, Mwendwa Kilatya, 34, is writing a new chapter.
The former inmate has been admitted to Africa Nazarene University to pursue a Certificate in Business Management for the August 2026 semester.
Kilatya’s journey from a crowded prison cell in the Coast to a university admission is a story of second chances, books donated in jail, and a refusal to give up.
In 2021, Kilatya was arrested in Mpeketoni for delivering a cow to a butcher's shop. The cow turned out to be stolen.
He pleaded guilty, saying he was only the messenger. The court gave him a choice: four years in prison or a KES 100,000 fine. Unable to raise the money, he went to jail.
Prison life was harsh.
“One small room can hold up to 10 inmates,” Kilatya says.
“Even sleeping is a problem. The heat is relentless.”
Worse, there was no school.
“Wardens told us we did not come to prison to study,” he recalls.
That is when Kilatya approached prison teacher Mr Frank Maduga with an “impossible” request: start a school inside.
After letters and a Ministry of Education inspection, a learning centre was registered. Kilatya joined the pioneer class.
He had dropped out of school in Form Three.
“He was hardworking and gave us the morale to continue teaching,” Mr Maduga says.
“Even with the congestion, even with the heat, he would sit and read.”
By 2025, five inmates including Kilatya sat for KCSE. Kilatya scored a D Plain — a grade he says is proof that encouragement from Wamunyu Senior Resident Magistrate Eugene Pascal during a visit to Hindu Prison did not fall on deaf ears.
Seeking the same magistrate for help
After release, Kilatya faced stigma, no job, and no fees. He did something bold: he tracked down Magistrate Pascal, the same judicial officer who jailed him, at Wamunyu Law Courts in Mwala.
“I looked for you because it is difficult to get a job without certificates. I wanted to do Business Management,” Kilatya told him.
Magistrate Pascal was moved.
“I’m happy that Mwendwa has reformed and is ready to pursue education,” Pascal said.
“I don’t have the money myself, but I will look for friends who can sponsor him.”
A new admission
On July 17, 2026, Africa Nazarene University offered Kilatya a place in the campus to pursue a Certificate in Business Management programme.
For Kilatya, the offer is more than a course. It’s a chance to “dress smart and get a decent job.”
“I will consider studying further as opportunities arise,” he says.
As he waits for sponsors to help with fees, Kilatya does casual jobs at construction sites in Machakos to survive.
The cow that cost him four years in jail, it seems, also led him to a classroom. And now, that classroom may lead him to college.
On Friday, Kilatya was all smiles after the Magistrate who is also his mentor and guardian drove him from Machakos town to Africa Nazarene University (ANU) at Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County after securing his admission.
The Senior Magistrate also paid part of his first semester tuition fees.
Mr Kilatya enrolled for Certificate in Business Management, the course of his choice.
Speaking after taking him to the university, the Magistrate said he is truly grateful and humbled to enroll Kilatya at Africa Nazarene University.
“It is my prayer that more well-wishers will come forward to help and make him achieve his dreams because he needs more support to ensure his studies and stay at the university are not interrupted,” he added.
To support his education a paybill number 7291071 and account number CBM 2027/083 have been set up to enable well-wishes to contribute to wards tuition fees amounting to KES 56,625, accommodation, meals and other related costs.
