Pomp and color-marked celebrations at Annestar Boys High Lanet as parents and teachers joined in celebrating David Kiiru who garnered 84 points with an A plain in the just released 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) results.
Elated Kiiru says the results have taken him by surprise, and the grade provides him with the leverage to study medicine at the University of Nairobi and pursue his childhood dream of becoming a pharmacologist.
The 17-year-old, born in a peasantry home in Ngorika village of Nakuru County, says the results were announced as he tended vegetables for sale at his father`s farm.
Expressing gratitude to his parents, teachers, and colleagues, he attributed the success to resilience, hard work, and discipline.
Kiiru`s father, Joseph Kiruge, could not hide his excitement, saying his son`s success was no mean feat for him as a smallholder vegetable farmer who has struggled to put him through school.
Annestar Boys Headteacher Patrick Nge`tich commended the commitment of 300 KCSE candidates of the 2023 class, saying the school produced three A’s plain and 20 A minus grades with more than half of the candidates qualifying to enroll in universities and pursuing their various careers in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
He indicated that the rest will be encouraged to join Technical Vocational Education Institutions and other middle-level colleges to learn various vocations that will enable them to be key participants in the development of the country into a middle-income country by the year 2030.
At the neighboring Shiners Girls High School, it was all jubilation as seven candidates bagged B plus and another 13 walked away with B plain- a development hailed as a first in the history of the school.
The school head teacher, Maina Gichure, said the 2023 performance was an impressive improvement compared to last year`s 4.6 mean grade to 6.1.
Gichure said 47 candidates have qualified to join the university to pursue various careers.
He attributed the improvement to sustained teamwork, discipline, and commitment among teachers, candidates, and parents.
The results announced yesterday morning by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu stated that 1,216 candidates, representing 0.14 percent, got straight A’s in 2023 compared to 1,146 in 2022.
A total of 7,254 got A- (minus), 18,078 attained B+ (plus), 36,728 got B (plain) and 78,343 got C+ (plus).
The Ministry of Education reports that 201,133 candidates, representing 22.27 percent, scored C+ and above and qualified to join the university.
The Ministry further says that 1,216 candidates, representing 0.14 percent, scored A plain in 2023 compared to 1,146 in 2022.
7,254 got A- (minus), 18,078 attained B+ (plus), 36,728 got B (plain) while 78,343 got C+ (plus).
By Jane Ngugi and Dennis Rasto
