78-year-old confident of passing KCSE

They say dreams are bound to come true if you believe in them.

This seems to drive 78-year-old Rufinus arap Taa, a Form Four student at the Korabariet Mixed Secondary School in Kuresoi North constituency.

As he waits to start sitting his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations on October 22, all he is hoping for is a grade above C with remarkable performance in the sciences.

The ability of Mr Taa, an average student, can only be proved after the results are out in February next year.

“I am well-prepared for the exams. I wake up before 6am to do my revision. I put down what I have read in short notes or take some time off the books to digest everything. I am comfortable studying on my own as I understand better than when in a group,” said Mr Taa.

He is among the 37 candidates expected to sit for their final examinations at the school.

His dream is to run a herbal clinic to give alternative and affordable medical services to the residents.

He scored an A in the sciences in his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations.

Since his childhood, Mr Taa has had a passion for treating the sick. However, what acted as a setback was illiteracy as it hampered him from using his gift confidently.

“My main motivation for seeking education at an advanced stage is my dream of being a respectable herbalist. I want to eventually do further research in traditional medicine, and be able to give correct prescriptions to my patients. I want to be the owner of a herbal clinic in Korabariet soon,” said Mr Taa.

Mr Taa learnt herbal medicine by keenly watching his mother practise as he grew up in Cheboi village, Bomet District.

“My mother was a famous herbalist in the village. I used to monitor her every move when making the herbal medicine. We could visit the forests nearby together to pick the herbs and she could teach me what each one of them was meant to treat,” said the father of six.

Although the mother later died, he has carried on the mantle.

Mr Taa said he has treated many people, including former pupils of Korabariet Primary School and fellow students at Korabariet Mixed Secondary School, of severe headaches, arthritis, tuberculosis, typhoid, stomach problems and wounds.

He is the head of first aid at the secondary school.

To him, age will not steal his passion for mixing drugs, analysing and administering them with an informed scientific background.

He pays a deaf ear to critics who express disillusionment over his efforts. “I was not given the chance to access formal education while at a tender age. Now that there is free education, there is no point in denying myself the skills I have longed for, said Mr Taa, who has more than 25 grandchildren.

Despite his old age, which hinders him from attending to his duties swiftly, he has managed to juggle between his studies and continue to practise his art.

Mr Taa has planted some herbs on his five-acre farm. He gets others from nearby forests.

“Many people come to me for medicine. I derive satisfaction when I administer a medicine and it works. I feel happy when someone is cured,” said Mr Taa.

His patients part with as little as Sh200 when they are completely cured.

Mr Taa started his journey to literacy when he joined Class Two at Korabariet Primary School at the age of 68.

In the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations, he scored 266 marks out of 500.

Head teacher Gideon Nyanchoga described Mr Taa as an average performer who is focused and determined.

In the school, said Mr Nyanchoga, he is loved for being the best disciplined student.

SURROUND HIM

“Students look up to him as their grandfather and during break time, they usually surround him while they lively engage in social and educational chats,” said the principal.

Mr Taa, however, regrets that he has been unable to hone his practical skills in the medical field as the school does not have a laboratory.

The school also lacks a library. This forces Mr Taa to depend on other students’ textbooks in doing homework and for further reading.

“It is unfortunate that Mr Taa cannot perform his practicals simply because we do not have a laboratory. We don’t even have a library and the teachers are not even enough,” said Mr Nyanchoga.

The head teacher described Mr Taa as a resourceful person, who has administered first aid to many students in the school since he enrolled for Form One in 2010.

Mr Taa was born in Cheboi Village, Bomet District, in 1935.