The academic achievements of Kenyans in the diaspora has put the country in the world map of academia.
This is evidenced by the likes of Dr. Patricia Kingori, Oxford University’s youngest black and female professor, Professor Robert Mokaya – the only black professor of Chemistry in the UK feted by the queen, Dr. Maria Othieno Bayerl, and Dr. Fridah Mokaya, the first black woman to earn a PhD in Nuclear Physics from University of Connecticut (Uconn) and who is the subject of this article.
Background
Fridah was born into a family of five – four girls and a brother – as her parents’ second born daughter. She was born and raised in Nairobi.
Her parents went the extra mile all through her childhood years to give her and her siblings the best life they could afford.
“I can never forget to give a special mention to my mother who was the disciplinarian and who ensured that we turned out to be fine children in society,” she said in a past interview.
At that early age she knew that she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up, a dream she would realize despite several hurdles along the way.
Education in Kenya
Dr. Fridah Mokaya is an alumna of Pangani Girls High School where she says her future was shaped.
When she was in Form 3, she was required to let her academic performance decide if she was going to take either the humanities or the sciences path that she desired. She failed to hit the mark by 2%.
The nuclear physicist was not about to give up and with the support of her father she was allowed into the sciences class.
With the opportunity granted, Fridah outdid herself and worked hard attaining an A (Plain) grade in her Physics examination at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
She looks back and is grateful to her Physics teacher, Mr. Orinda and the deputy principal at the school for believing in her potential.
