Tami Kazmierczak
Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru is now a lecturer in Germany, decades after she became a teen mum and was struggling in Vihiga County Kigwiru was awarded a doctorate Magna Cum Laude, which is higher than even a distinction, and once she got it, she sank to her knees and praised God All the way from Germany, she talked to TUKO.co.ke about her bittersweet journey as an academician and single mum trying her best for her kids Munich, Germany: A video of Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru emotionally sinking to her knees after her oral examiners awarded her a doctorate has touched many people, with the reaction showing that it has not been easy, but it was definitely worth it.
Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru, who was at TUK.Photo: Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru.
Source: UGC Now Dr Kigwiru, the competition law expert, is the first student to get a PhD, High Distinction, Magna Cum Laude from the Technical University of Munich, a top institution of excellence in Europe.
After seven years of intensive research, involving fieldwork and interviews with 11 heads of African competition agencies, Kigwiru was awarded a High Distinction, Magna Cum Laude.
“What an outcome! The girl from Mago Village is now Dr Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru. May the name of the Lord be praised. He did it. He will do it again,” she told TUKO.co.ke. Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner 😉
“Thanks to everyone who showed up; what a journey, an experience, and exposure. Seven years of real grit, patience, and sacrifice. It can only be God,” she added. According to the woman who went to school barefoot as a young girl raised by her grandmother while her single mother worked hard to send money home, her PhD dissertation was examined by a political scientist, a legal scholar, and an economist.
The professionals sought to bridge law with politics and economic analysis, examining why regulation fails or succeeds in Africa.
Vellah kedogo Kigwiru as she was defending her dissertation at TUM. Photo: Vellah Kigwiru.
Source: UGC What’s experts take of Kigwiru’s desertion? After analysing her more than 1000-page thesis, which was an accumulation of 10 chapters in the form of published papers and book chapters, the economist from King’s College London, with immense experience in institutional making, applauded the empirical contribution and the vigorous data collection she employed in 11 African countries.
In concluding that Kigwiru’s research merits high distinction—Magna Cum Laude—one of her PhD Dissertation examiners noted, “This dissertation is very impressive. Ms. Kigwiru had done an impressive job in assimilating a huge volume of materials across the three disciplines of political science, social science, and law.” “The area of law she has chosen is itself interdisciplinary, spanning law, economics, and political economy; and additionally, it spans legal systems as well as geography—nations and continents with different levels of economic development, history that bears on economic development, and socio-economic context. She deserves to be congratulated for undertaking this challenge and mastering her subject,” he added. Kigwiru reiterated to TUKO.co.ke that her journey resonates with many people who believe they cannot achieve certain things because of their background or the labels others have assigned to them.
“Out there, no one cares about what you have gone through. It is all about what you bring to the table. And if there is no table, create one. There was very little attention paid to African competition law; yet, I have navigated to ensure that the world is aware of Africa,” she said. “I have delivered guest lectures at many universities, including the course I am currently teaching at the Hochschule für Politik, Technical University of Munich, on Africa’s competition law,” she added. Did getting a high distinction surprise Kigwiru? According to Vellah, she was not surprised when she was awarded a distinction, as the lawyer has always been a top performer since primary school, through high school, and university.
“Some have labelled me a genius; what surprised me was being awarded a high distinction (Magna Cum Laude), which is higher than a distinction from a top university in Europe and a highly globally ranked university,” she said. According to the lawyer, the research made her a competition law expert in Africa and the most sought-after by international organisations.
As of now, she has developed expertise spanning multiple nations and continents, as evidenced by her appearances at numerous forums in Africa, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Latin America, and Asia, where she has been invited to deliver keynote speeches.
“I have sat at tables that, if you had told me I would, 30 years ago, I would not have comprehended,” she said. Vellah at the AfCFTA Secretariat. Photo: Vellah Kedogo.
Source: UGC Just how difficult was Kigwiru’s journey? When Kigwiru submitted her PhD dissertation in July 2024, she knew that her defense was to happen in September 2024. A date was set but later changed and postponed to October, then November, and then December 2024.
Kigwiru told TUKO.co.ke that she lost count of how many times dates were set and cancelled; things used to happen… things that were hard to explain.
“Even January 7 was not guaranteed. The time was canceled from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. But my supervisor and I had made a decision that it must happen,” she said. “The waiting period was a rollercoaster; during that period, I couldn’t work for two reasons: I had no student status to work as a student because I was not enrolled in active studies. My friends advised me to do another Master’s degree, but I said no. Second, I couldn’t work because I couldn’t get a work visa, which I can only be given if I show I am done with this PhD,” she explained. What happened as Kigwiru waited? As Kigwiru waited, she learned to live without an income and rely on friends to come through for her.
“I know I looked like a rich spoilt brat, but you don’t need to look like your problems. Those who used to ask me for financial support in 2025, I am sorry, I would just laugh because most of you never believed when I said I couldn’t support,” she said. “Germany is a country that shapes you in ways Africa would never; you become a go-getter,” she said. Vellah, grandma and uncle who raised her. Photo: Vellah Kigwiru.
Source: Facebook How was Kigwiru’s earlier life? Kigwiru grew up in Mago in Vihiga County, and as she grew up under the care of her grandmother, who mentored her although she was elderly and illiterate, her mother worked as a housegirl in Nairobi.
“We lived in extreme poverty; I experienced going to bed without eating. Indeed, I experienced two famine seasons as a child (Sava Lulara) in the 1990s. Going to school barefoot was normal, as every child did so,” she said. “My grandmother was very strict with education, and for her, it was the only way to fight poverty. She never entertained excuses. You had to bring home the first position, not the second. When my mum couldn’t afford to buy me books, my grandma advised me to read the ones my friends had bought, she knew I would be big” she said. Enter the single mum As if Kigwiru’s problems were not hard enough, a pregnancy at 17 compounded the situation for her and for everybody. However, just as with most mums today, her dear mum took her to the university when her calling letter came, and she studied her LLB degree at the University of Nairobi.
“My mum was also a big pillar in her life, and whenever I speak about my mum, I shed tears telling my mum this was her PhD. It was her success. My mum dropped out of Kaimosi Girls High, and despite the challenges she went through, she worked extremely hard,” she said. Kigwiru said, “This success is for me, single mothers, people from poor backgrounds, and those who live in the slums. There are times when people used labels such as single mother, slum dweller, and villager to demean and belittle her, but they motivated her.” Vellah with her mum on the farm. Photo: Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru.
Source: UGC What hurdles did Kigwiru face? Initially, Kigwiru was afraid of leaving her children behind as she left for Germany, but she remembered that if her mum hadn’t left her behind, she wouldn’t be where she is today.
“I invested in my children, and every year I traveled more than three times. Spending time with them and talking to them was my priority. And thus, investing in flights never felt like a waste,” she said. Basically, Kigwiru described her journey as bittersweet, as she had access to so many resources and academic support. It seems everyone in the global competition community wanted to support and be associated with her.
“This made me realise how important my project was for Africa and the world,” she said. “I also experienced depression and acute migraines. In 2019, I developed very acute headaches, and I was diagnosed with depression and acute migraines. Everything was not working; getting an apartment in Munich was extremely difficult, and I was missing my children. My therapist told me not to worry about things I do not have control over; I either leave them or postpone. This is exactly what I do even today,” she added. Just as with any student studying abroad, finances are a big issue, and bills are extremely high. There were times I didn’t have money. As a single mother, the little money I had was spent on my children and mother.
“As a student, I did jobs I never thought of; I got a job with Amazon as a sorting assistant. I was unsure of what it entailed, so I bought my suit, put on heels, and showed up,only to be given safety shoes and working gear. It was a warehouse.” “Despite these challenges, I managed to build a house for my mum, demolishing the mud house we had. This was one of my biggest successes,” she said. Tell me again, if a girl from Kawangware and Mago can do this, what limitations are you placing on yourself?” she asked. The house Vellah demolished to build a new one. Photo: Vellah Kedogo Kigwiru.
Source: UGC Kigwiru’s son scores A in KCSE In another story, Kigwir was elated after her son Fidel Castro Yakhama scored a stellar A in 2025 KCSE exams, showing it runs in the family.
Kigwiru thanked God for the turn of events, only two days after she had thanked Him for her new doctorate.
Both mother and son were grateful for the score in light of recent family events that may have affected the youngster badly.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Authors:
Susan Mwenesi (Human-Interest editor)
Susan Mwenesi is a Human Interest editor. She studied Journalism and Public Relations at TU-K, International Center for Journalists’ Early Childhood Development Reporting, Google News Initiative Training on Advance Digital Reporting, Fighting Misinformation, and Experimenting with New Formats (2024). Over 10 years, Susan has worked at K24, Baraka FM, Health Media,TechMoran. She is a Bloomberg Media Initiative, National Geographic, International Centre for Journalists, KICTANet, AKU Graduate School of Media, Communications Digital ABC training by WAN-IFRA fellow. Email: susan.mwenesi@tuko.co.ke
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