Social media, entertainment apps, and constant notifications have replaced thoughtful engagement with real news, leaving students reliant on headlines and trending posts rather than full stories. The reasons for this shift are many.

Social media delivers news instantly, but rarely encourages deep reading or analysis. Students skim headlines, watch short video clips, and share stories without fully understanding them. One second-year student admits, “I know I should read newspapers, but by the time I finish scrolling through feeds, I’ve already lost focus. It feels faster to get snippets online.”

Coupled with busy university schedules , lectures, assignments, and part-time work , long-form reading often feels like a luxury few can afford. Smartphones and streaming services compete heavily for attention, leaving newspapers and magazines on the margins.

The consequences extend beyond personal habits. Newspapers and magazines have long been essential training tools for journalists, teaching structure, sourcing, investigative techniques, and editorial judgment.

Without regular engagement, students risk graduating with theory but limited practical insight into reporting. A senior lecturer in communication observes, “Students can write essays on media ethics, but when asked about current events, many struggle to provide details beyond what they saw online. Reading habits are not cultivated; they are assumed.” 

The lack of exposure threatens not only skills but also professional curiosity and responsibility.

Addressing this challenge requires action from both students and institutions. Universities could integrate structured news-reading programs, assign weekly newspaper analyses, or organize discussions based on current features.

Campus libraries and digital subscriptions should be more accessible, while professors encourage engagement with professional journalists’ work. Rebuilding this habit strengthens not only technical skills but also critical thinking, awareness of societal debates, and appreciation for the responsibilities journalists carry. As one final-year student reflects, “If we don’t read, how can we expect to report properly? We’d be writing without knowing.”

Reading the news may feel old-fashioned in a digital era, but its value remains essential for aspiring journalists. To report responsibly, students must first learn to observe, analyze, and understand the world around them. Cultivating the habit of reading newspapers and magazines is more than academic. It is professional, ethical, and crucial for the future of journalism in Kenya.

Universities, lecturers, and students must work together to ensure that the next generation of reporters is not only well-trained but also well-informed, bridging the gap between the classroom, the newsroom, and society at large.

While public conversations celebrate resilience and the culture of “hustling,” the reality on the ground is harsher: ambition is alive, but support systems are weakening. Students describe campus life not as a balance between study and social life, but as a daily negotiation between survival and dignity. “You learn to stretch everything; food, time, even hope,” says one second-year student.

“Some days you attend classes hungry, not because you want to, but because you have to”, a finalist speaks of the pressure to appear stable despite mounting challenges. “You don’t want lecturers or classmates to see you struggling. So you smile and keep going.” Behind the smiles, anxiety over rent, tuition and basic needs quietly erodes concentration, participation and mental well-being. Many endure in silence, afraid that admitting hardship may invite stigma rather than support.

A secondary school board chairman with years of experience in education leadership argues that the crisis extends beyond individual households. Rapid university expansion and rising enrolment have outpaced the financial systems meant to sustain them. The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), established to widen access to higher education, now faces mounting pressure. Some students receive approximately KSh 35,000 annually an amount that barely covers rent, food and essential materials.

Combined with declining parental contributions and uneven bursary distribution, the strain is visible in overcrowded housing, poor nutrition and heightened vulnerability. “When funding systems weaken,” he warns, “student dreams are not just delayed they are dimmed.”

Addressing this reality requires more than sympathy. HELB allocations must reflect current economic conditions so students can complete their studies and repay loans after employment. Supporting students to graduation is not generosity; it is sound financial logic. 

Alternative financing models , including partnerships between financial institutions and universities could ease pressure on State funding. At the same time, bursary funds managed across various offices must be consolidated and distributed transparently to ensure equity and accountability. When financial support is predictable and fair, students can focus on learning rather than mere survival.

Expanding enrolment without strengthening support structures risks producing graduates burdened not only by debt but by avoidable hardship. Students continue to attend lectures, submit assignments and hold tightly to their aspirations despite immense strain. Their resilience is admirable, but resilience alone cannot sustain a national education system. If education remains the backbone of development, then funding it sustainably is not optional , it is essential. The question is no longer whether students are strong enough to endure hardship, but whether we are willing to build systems strong enough to support them.

The event, held at the Embu ASK Showground Njukiri  has attracted exhibitors from across the country, ranging from agricultural institutions and seed companies to livestock breeders and technology firms eager to demonstrate solutions aimed at improving farm productivity.

The Chairman of the Agricultural Society of Kenya Embu branch, Martin Mutwiri, said this year’s show has recorded remarkable growth compared to last year, both in the number of exhibitors and the diversity of technologies on display.

Mutwiri noted that the increased participation reflects the growing interest among farmers in adopting modern farming practices to improve yields and strengthen food security in the region.

He urged farmers from Embu and neighboring counties to attend the show in large numbers and take advantage of the learning opportunities available, emphasizing that the exhibition offers practical knowledge that can transform agricultural productivity.

“Farmers should make time to visit the stands, interact with experts and learn new farming techniques that can help them increase production and manage challenges such as climate change,” Mutwiri said.

The chairperson further highlighted that the show provides a unique platform where farmers can directly engage with innovators, researchers and agribusiness players who are developing solutions tailored to the needs of local farmers.

Meanwhile, Embu County Commissioner Moses Wanyonyi assured residents and visitors that security has been significantly enhanced to guarantee a safe and successful event. Wanyonyi said security agencies have put in place adequate measures within and around the showground to ensure smooth operations throughout the exhibition period.

12.3.2026

Mbaika/Nanny 

S-4000

M-8000

L-10000

Nthenge/Buck

S-4000

M-11000

L-15000

My head was full of regrets. Every time voices reminded me of the opportunities I let go and the doors I never opened. Resistance kept me from letting go of the past even if it dragged me into pain.

A moment came when I had to question whether tomorrow was worth living. Yet the very moment I was surrounded by pain, my eyes tried opening and I was starting to see small sparks of reinvention, moments where I tried and tried again. Reinvention became a slow decision to try again in different ways. My suffering became a path where resilience followed, teaching me that storms don't just destroy they also tell who we are.  

As a student, I tried to reinvent myself but no matter how hard I tried, regrets never stopped knocking at my door. I kept on thinking of the chances that I let slip away, the scholarships I never applied for, the friendships that were going to be beneficial to me and I didn't nurture, reminded me of the moments that I chose to remain silent when I should have open up. 

Now regrets became heavy and I had questions that became difficult to answer. Regret reminded me of the times I hesitated when I should have acted and change something. Regret has now become a shadow that follows me even if I try to focus and walk forward. It whispers and reminds me of the things I could have done differently. But despite all the challenges that are pulled by regret, it also acts as a teacher. It showed me the cost of hesitation, the pain experienced by missing good opportunities, and also the urge of action before it is too late. 

In addition, regrets also showed me the essence of time, how time should not go to waste and I was able to understand how fragile time is. Therefore, the truth remains, suffering is not only about what happens to me but also about what I fail to accomplish for the better me.  

If resistance is loud, regret is therefore quiet. It asks haunting questions like, what if I tried harder? What if I had spoken up? What if I had chosen differently? But then regret became my companion during sleepless nights. Choices replayed in my mind wandering how different things might have been if I had dared to step out, but that was never the end of life. Regret had shown me the way as well as acting as a teacher. It showed me that resistance had cost me more and slowly I began to reinvent myself. 

Reinvention did not happen overnight, it began with small steps. I decided to push myself harder and I joined campus projects with determination. I even went further to volunteer for community work, discovering that the services gave me a sense of purpose I had never felt before. Opening up in class became my daily routine, my voice trembling at first, but growing stronger with each attempt I make.  

I reached out to people I had once ignored, building friendship that were good and of beneficial to me in my academic life, friendships that taught me the values of connection. Bringing closely good people to my life worked well in reshaping my life. My life needed a fresh start, I never hesitated to apply for opportunities I once feared, and though I failed at some, I discovered courage in the attempt. Therefore, reinvention became my new rhythm even if it wasn't a straight path. A path that is messy, uncertain, and full of moments where doubt creeps back in, despite all I must have the courage to keep reinventing. 

Even as I walked this new path of reinvention, I realized that change was rarely a straight line. There were days when doubt crept back in, when old fears whispered that I was not enough, that I would fail again, that past regrets defined me. But I learnt to meet these moments with patience and persistence, reminding myself that growth is measured not by perfection, but by the courage to try again. I began to set small, deliberate goals, speaking up in class, volunteering for leadership roles, applying for opportunities I would once have avoided. Each attempt was a victory in itself, whether it succeeded or failed, because it proved that I was no longer immobilized by resistance or haunted by regret. I discovered the power of reflection, taking time to celebrate small wins while learning from mistakes, and slowly, this practice reshaped my mindset. 

Friendships that I nurtured during this period became mirrors of resilience, showing me that support and connection amplify our strength. I also noticed that reinvention is contagious, inspiring even one peer to take a risk or face their fears felt like contributing to a larger wave of change. And though the road remains uncertain, messy, and full of challenges, I have come to understand that life’s storms do not just test us but they train us, revealing hidden strength and untapped potential. Reinvention is no longer a single moment but a rhythm of living, a conscious choice to keep moving forward, even when the future is unclear, because growth is found not in avoiding the storm, but in learning to dance in its rain. 

The storm of changes is still violent and I stand at its centre. I know what regret feels like, I know the comfort of resistance, and I have tested the power of reinvention. Yet the question remains, when the next door opens will I walk through it, or will I let it close once again?