As the dust settles on the released KCSE exams, a student in Runyenyes Constituency, Embu County has stunned many after scoring a B Plus having joined Ena Day Secondary School with the lowest KCPE marks. 

Derrick Muthinji Ireri managed only 230 marks in the 2019 KCPE examinations and was on the verge of losing hope when a teacher approached him to join the day school.

Muthinji could not hide his joy after receiving the results saying that failing to pass his KCPE exams demoralised him and he had given up on education.

Muthinji, who was schooling in Kiarimui Primary School, joined the secondary school with the lowest marks and was admitted after one of his teachers agreed to talk to the school principal to accept him despite failing in the national exams.

Muthinji, who aspires to study medicine, says that learning around the school is not easy due to so much peer pressure. Ena is one of the areas that have embraced Miraa farming, with many youth ruining their lives.

Effects of Miraa

He says that many of his peers have abandoned education to venture into Miraa business.

Muthinji says that students in day schools are faced with a myriad of challenges ranging from lack of school fees, peer pressure, discrimination, thanking God to have defied all these odds.

The school principal, Ben Njue, says that the teachers and students are elated with the results having attained a mean score of 5.31 with 25 students set to join university.

Nijue — who is also the chairperson of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association in Embu County — also lamented that schools are facing challenges ranging from in adequate funds, lack of enough support from political leaders as well as parents from poor backgrounds who are not in position to pay school fees.

Joash Omaribo shines too

Joash Omariba, a student of Kebirigo Boys in West Mugirango Constituency, is another candidate who remained unperturbed by his low KCPE marks.

Omariba sat for  last year’s KCSE and scored a mean grade of B (Plain) even after scoring 281 marks in KCPE.

Hailing from Manga Ward, Omariba attributed his success to encouragement from his teachers and robust revision of past papers.

He aims to study Bachelors of Medicine at the Kenyatta University.