Advances in Sciences and Humanities 2021; 7(3): 93-101 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ash doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20210703.17 ISSN: 2472-0941 (Print); ISSN: 2472-0984 (Online) Challenges, Coping Mechanisms and the Support Accorded to Student-mothers in Academic Pursuit: A Case Study of Egerton University, Nakuru County Kiburi Racheal Kanana 1, * , Josephine Obonyo 1 , Charles Kamau Wambu 2 1 Institute of Women Gender and Development Studies, Egerton University, Nakuru, Kenya 2 Department of Community Development and Environmental Management, Cooperative University, Nairobi, Kenya Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Kiburi Racheal Kanana, Josephine Obonyo, Charles Kamau Wambu. Challenges, Coping Mechanisms and the Support Accorded to Student- mothers in Academic Pursuit: A Case Study of Egerton University, Nakuru County. Advances in Sciences and Humanities. Vol. 7, No. 3, 2021, pp. 93-101. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20210703.17 Received: August 18, 2021; Accepted: August 31, 2021; Published: September 23, 2021 Abstract: Education is an important aspect in development as it strengthens nations and empowers people thus making it critical to Kenya’s attainment of Vision 2030. Education benefits society, communities, and individuals across the globe. Today, there is a high number of student mothers in institutions of higher learning whereby the demands in academic pursuit conflicts with motherhood responsibilities thus affecting their academic performance. Despite the existence of guidelines and policies on return to school, student mothers continue to face challenges in pursuit for education. The aim of this study was to examine determinants of schooling challenges, coping mechanisms and the support accorded to student mothers in their pursuit for higher education. The study adopted role conflict theory. A cross-sectional survey research design was used for this study. The study population was 360 student mothers. Simple random sampling procedure was used to obtain a sample size of 101 respondents. The data was collected using interview schedules and semi structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. From the study findings, 80% of the respondents reported that economic challenge was a hindrance to academic performance. The findings indicated that 92% of the respondents had time management hurdle with respect to lecture attendance, co- curricular activities, childcare responsibilities, and domestic chores, academic trips, taking the child to clinic, assignments submission, academic group discussions and academic trainings. About 96% of respondents agreed that they received family support to meet day to day expenses while learning. From the study findings this study proposes the loan award criteria by HELB should be revised to incorporate student mothers as special group of loan applicants. Greater institutional and family support should be encouraged in order to strengthen positive coping mechanisms by student mothers in dealing with unavailability of adequate financial and family support. Keywords: Schooling Challenges, Coping Mechanisms, Support Accorded & Student-Mothers 1. Introduction Across the globe students’ pregnancy has been regarded as major challenge to their education and consequently career development. Developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America have been ranked top in teenage pregnancy rates [1]. In the United States of America, specifically Pennsylvania in 2005 had 26,047 young mothers who were faced with motherhood challenges. According to Banda one million teenage girls become pregnant yearly in United Kingdom [2]. This is much higher as compared to Japan and nearly twice in Great Britain. In the United States, the rate of teenage child bearing has decreased from 96 births in 1950s per 1000 women of age 15 to 19 to 49 births in 1957 per 2000 women [3]. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries such as South Africa, Uganda and Kenya, teenage childbearing is a major problem that leads to school dropouts among young girls [5]. According to Odejimi teenage pregnancy restricts young women from schooling thus not able to venture into