How we made it and our plans, say KCSE champs

Christopher Ondieki. A of 84 points

What you need to know:

  • To calm his nerves, the 20-year-old former Moi High School Gesusu, Kisii pupil took a walk. It was while he was coming back that he met the entire village in his Kisii home singing in his honour.
  • “The result is beyond my expectations. The highest I had scored was 77 points in the mock exams. I’m closer to becoming a neurosurgeon or a haematologist,” he said.
  • Derrick Njiru, 17, a former student at Maranda High School, scored an A of 82 points and wants to be an architect. “I saw buildings in Dubai in magazines and documentaries and I knew I wanted to study architecture,” he said.

He sent a text message to the Kenya National Examinations Council to get his 2014 KCSE results. The reply did not come as fast as he expected and Christopher Ondieki got anxious.

To calm his nerves, the 20-year-old former Moi High School Gesusu, Kisii pupil took a walk. It was while he was coming back that he met the entire village in his Kisii home singing in his honour.

“I had passed. They told me I had scored an A of 84 points. I couldn’t believe,” Christopher tells Nation.

He said he expected to do well but did not expect the results he got.

“The result is beyond my expectations. The highest I had scored was 77 points in the mock exams. I’m closer to becoming a neurosurgeon or a haematologist,” he said.

He says he was motivated to put in more efforts when he missed out on joining a national school.

“I want a good life. I have known poverty and I want to get out of it. My father died when I was in Form Three but the school stood by me. I promised not to disappoint,” he said.

Christopher hopes to get a scholarship to pursue his dream.

Nicolae Gogol Opana who also passed with straight As with 84 points will get the treat from his father, Jacob Opana. The former student at Sawangongo Secondary School in Siaya County will be taken for a trip to Coast for his exploits.

Opana senior said: “I want him to explore, starting with Mombasa and if resources allow, we will go all the way to Malindi.”
Just like Christopher, Nicolae would like to study neurosurgery.

ARCHITECT

Derrick Njiru, 17, a former student at Maranda High School, scored an A of 82 points and wants to be an architect. “I saw buildings in Dubai in magazines and documentaries and I knew I wanted to study architecture,” he said. He attributes his success to the support of his parents.

In Kiambu, Patricia Wambu, 17, was over the moon after scoring straight A’s. She topped her class at Precious Blood Kagwe Girls. She wants to pursue financial engineering at the university. “I struggled with physics, and generally all sciences. That is why I was so thrilled to have scored A’s even in those subjects,” she told Nation.

For Dominic Ruitha Mugweru, 17, a former Nairobi School student, his secret to success is in team work with fellow students and dedication.

“Between 1:30 and 2 pm, every student would studying mathematics with assistance from teachers,” said Dominic. He also wants to study medicine. In Nakuru County, David Mutua scored an A mean grade of 82 points at Moi High School Kabarak. The 17-year-old intends to pursue a course in land economics.

Anthony Ochieng, a former student at Juja Preparatory and Senior Schools also scored As of 84 points. The 17-year-old want to study aeronautical engineering.