Minayo first hit the headlines in 2018 when former Nation Media Group (NMG) journalist Sarah Kimani, now the East Africa correspondent for South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), shared how Minayo’s zeal and determination saw her go from cleaning people’s houses to earning a scholarship to study midwifery.
Contacted by kenyagist.com, Kimani intimated that Minayo was scheduled to graduate around March 2020.
“I think the graduation is supposed to be in March. Then you’ll have a story,” she told this scribe.
“Quick update after this story “aired”. Millicent’s school at the Mater hospital gave her a scholarship to study midwifery and as is characteristic of her, she worked hard and earned a distinction, she’ll graduate soon.
“Sometimes all one needs is an opportunity. Thanks all,” Kimani had earlier shared on social media.
Kimani first encountered Minayo in 2012 as she was urgently searching for a nanny. Minayo, a Form Four leaver at the time, happened to be working as one of two nannies for a friend of Kimani’s who recommended her to the journalist.
Kimani’s previous nanny had abruptly deserted her, with work engagements leaving her desperate to find someone to take care of her young daughter.
“I didn’t even have time to interview her on the phone. I just picked the girl from my friend. We actually negotiated her salary in the car because I was desperate. I had to go to work the following day,” she told Nairobi News at the time.
Over time, a bond formed between them and Kimani urged Minayo to consider applying for a course at a private law school after receiving her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results where she scored a B- (B-Minus).
Although she failed to secure admission to the school, an essay she wrote as part of the application process struck Kimani as it laid bare the hardship Minayo had faced growing up.
“She wrote a very good essay. It was then that she opened up about living with her sister in Kawangware, not having food and having to wash clothes for neighbours after school or on Saturdays in order get some cash,” Kimani told Nairobi News then.
On observing the ease with which Minayo took care of her toddler even in difficult circumstances, Kimani told Minayo to consider a career in nursing. As fate would have it, Minayo fell sick and found herself at Mater Hospital where she discovered the hospital had its own learning institution.
She applied and gained admission to study midwifery but was faced with the challenge of raising the requisite fees. Students who sought scholarships were still required to pay fees for the first year, compelling Minayo to defer her studies for a year.
Kimani stepped in yet again, coming up with a plan where Minayo would save as much of her salary as she could with the award-winning journalist to top up the balance.
“She saved Ksh65,000. I gave her the money and bought books for her. My father and brother helped us,” Kimani revealed.
In her first year, Minayo still worked as a housemaid and made time to attend classes.
Her exemplary performance would later earn her a scholarship and she moved to stay at the institution for the remainder of her programme. The rest, as they say, is history.