Celebrations for the top Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination girl Sharon Chepngeno Terer continued, Saturday, at her rural home in Kiptewit village, Bureti Sub-County in Kericho.
Residents of Kericho thronged the village to congratulate Chepngeno who emerged the third overall best candidate in the KCSE results. She attained ‘A’ Plain of 87.173 points. Chepngeno was a student at Kenya High School.
They sang praise songs and dance for the top national girl in the examination, saying she has put the village in the Kenya and world maps following the stellar performance.
Simiyu Robin Wanjala from Murang’a High was the best overall student nationally with 87.334 points while Wesonga Allan Udoma from Agoro Sare High came second after attaining 87.173 points same with Chepng’eno’s 87.173 points.
Parents, teachers and the Directors of the former Primary School, Sally- Ann Academy in Litein town could not be left behind in the celebrations as they held a brief ceremony to congratulate Chepngeno for emerging the top overall girl in Kenya.
They later escorted her to the village, a distance of about seven kilometres in a convoy of vehicles.
The villages feted the top girl, saying that they want more of their children to emulate the good performance of Chepngeno.
Speaker after speaker at the ceremony urged youngsters to pursue their academic like Chepngeno, adding that it’s only in education that they can secure their future and participate meaningfully in the development of the area and the country at large.
The occasion which was attended by members of the Kericho County Assembly, Kibet Ng’eno and Beatrice Tonui, university don Professor James Sang, teachers’ unions officials, several teachers and people from all walks of life gave the residents a rare chance to prove to their upcoming youth that it’s only in education that they can achieve whatever they want in life.
Chepngeno’s parents-Geoffrey Terer and Rahab Terer shed tears of joy as they spoke on their four-year journey to see their daughter post good results.
They said their daughter’s top performance to emerge the best female candidate did not come on a silver platter. Her father, a few days before the release of the results, said he had a vision that her daughter would not miss out among students who would post good results.
“We are now a family of celebrities. Everybody, media houses, and leaders are still calling and visiting us since the day KCSE results were released last week to congratulate my girl and us as a family for providing our daughter what is needed to excel in education,” said Terer.
Teachers from her former primary school led by the school’s director John Kenduiwa spoke of how serious the girl was doing while in the school an indication that the girl was indeed nright. They said she would get disturbed when she was beaten in any examination by other pupils saying she would work extra hard to overturn the results in the next examinations.
“She would not accept defeat in any examination. When beaten she would make sure she topped in the next examination. And indeed, she used to achieve this,” said Kenduiwa.
Sharon Chepngeno who was index 1 in the school was among the top candidates in the Sally Ann Academy School in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) class of 2016 after attaining 410 Marks out of 500.
Her father, Geoffrey Terer, a Kenya Defense Forces Officer, revealed that Chepngeno did not like caning while in primary school saying perhaps this made her to be disciplined and subsequently the best student. He said she also did not want to go to a boarding school saying she later accepted and boarded while in Standard Seven at the school.
Chepngeno wants pursue medicine in the university. She is still weighing her options and advices from the education experts whether to join a Kenyan university or a foreign one.
Terer disclosed to the gathering that Bureti MP Japheth Mutai, has said he will pay university fees for Chepngeno.
Kericho Governor, Paul Chepkwony, the MP, several leaders from the County and Curriculum Support Officer (CSOs) Kericho County Chairman, Bernard Koech, have congratulated the best girl for excelling in the examination.
By Dominic Cheres
