Justus Kizito - From sponsored child to MP

A former World Vision supported child was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) in Kenya in September. A huge majority elected Justus Kizito MP for Shinyalu constituency, one of the poorest regions in Western Kenya

The newly elected MP recently called into the World Vision Kenya National Office in Nairobi to thank the organisation for supporting his education, saying, “If it were not for World Vision, I would definitely not be a member of parliament.”

Speaking at the World Vision Kenya office, the Minister told of how at the age of eight, he began following his friends to school. Before long, teachers noticed that the barefoot boy was bright, and encouraged him to stay on and pursue his education.

However, Justus Kizito, now aged 39 and holding a masters degree in education administration and finance, also spoke about how he initially struggled to get an education, “My father had two wives, 14 children and just two acres of land on which he depended to feed us. It was no coincidence that I was the only one who got educated,”

Despite these circumstances, Kizito managed to sit his primary school examinations in 1983 and was admitted to Mukumu Boys School. However, knowing that his family could not afford to send him to school, World Vision agreed to pay half of his fees.
With his burden halved, the newly elected MP struggled, but performed well enough to pursue a University degree, followed by his Masters degree – a testimony, he said, to the good work that World Vision does.