A Kenyan man that was born blind has refused to dwell on his defects and aim for the stars as he is set to beat the odds in realising his dream of becoming a pilot.
The 29-year-old Odongo from Mumias, Kakamega county developed a congenital cataract disorder that caused his blindness.
His father discovered he was blind at the age of three years, sadly, due to his condition, his parents separated and his mother took him to his grandmother.
It was while at his grandmother’s home that Odongo created a good rapport with the catholic convent of St Peters Mumias, and the church put him through school.
“At one point I joined St Ann’s Mumias Girls school, and I couldn’t fit in. I then joined St peters Boys, but I still couldn’t fit in because they were writing on boards, and I couldn’t see,” Odongo narrated.
He was later enrolled to Kibos Primary School for the blind, and was the school’s top performer with 351 marks in the 2006 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). This earned him a spot at the Thika School for the Blind.
Odongo attained a meangrade of B minus with 53 points, and he joined university in September 2012.
“After convincing the nuns, after convincing my brother, though not everybody was agreeing that with a B minus of 53 points I should join Kenyatta University,” Odongo intimated.
His luck, came in a rather strange manner when he suffered from cerebral malaria and was admitted at the Kikuyu Hospital. There he met a lady who advised him that through surgery he could be able to see. Odongo was, however, doubtful.
“I told her I was grateful, but I am very much comfortable. I can read, I walk with my sick comfortably and I had no reason to see. She told me not to worry about the bills. I could have the treatment first, and that would come later,” Odongo narrated.
The aviation enthusiast could not hide his joy when his eyes were able to detect light for the first time.
“I could perceive some light and I could see things move in front of me, and I was overwhelmed,” he recounted.