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Hamida Aftin Kullow scores 414 to top Mandera county
Hamida Aftin Kullow at her home in Mandera North on November 20, 2018. She emerged the best candidate in Mandera with 414 marks. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO |
What you need to know:
- Hamida Aftin Kullow scored an impressive 414 marks to emerge the best candidate in Mandera County.
- The second-born girl in a family of six siblings said she would like to join Kenya High and become a neurosurgeon in future.
- She encouraged other candidates who scored lower marks not to give up but use whatever they got to create a successful future for themselves
Mandera County’s top candidate hopes to join Kenya High School to further her dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Hamida Aftin Kullow scored an impressive 414 marks in the just-concluded Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, whose results were announced in Mombasa on Monday by Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
EXCITED
“I am so excited. My dream to become a neurosurgeon is on course. I would like to join Kenya High School to further my education,” she said.
Kullow decried the retrogressive cultural practices in her community that have denied the girl child equal opportunities in society.
“Many girls are capable of shining in national examinations but some of our cultural beliefs and practices curtail their dreams,” she said.
Early marriage remains a major challenge to the quest for education of the girl child in the far-flung northern frontier county.
“Girls in society can perform just like boys, or even better, and what we need is a fair chance to prove ourselves,” she said.
SECOND-BORN
The second-born in a family of six said she had expected more than what she scored.
“I have been scoring more than this, and I expected more, but I am fine with it because it came from Allah,” she said.
She attributed her good performance to God and the support of her parents.
“My parents have been supportive and I have always been prayerful throughout my life,” she said.
She led a class of 44 candidates at Matarajio Academy in Rhamu, Mandera North.
FUTURE SUCCESS
She asked those who might have failed not to give up in life but, with the marks they scored, to build their future success.
“Even with less-than-average marks, one can still make it in life and have better a score in the secondary school examinations. I would like to ask my fellow students not to give up,” she said.
Zakariya Ali Adan Osman, with 401 marks, emerged the best boy in the county and is hoping to join either Alliance Boys High School or the Starehe Boys Center.
He said that his dream was to become medical doctor in future and attributed his good performance to the good relationship between himself and his teachers.
TOP KCPE CANDIDATES IN MANDERA
Hamida Aftin Kullow, Matarajio Junior Academy, 414
Zakiriya Ali Adan Osman, Elimu Bora Academy, 401
Fartun Alio Mohamed Huka, Alqalan Primary, 383
Omar Mohamed Adan, Mandera Academy, 381
Hassan Mohamud Haile, Al Uwes Primary, 377
Burhan Adaw Abdi, Wargadud Primary, 368
