One of the top performers in the recently released 2016 KCSE results has sent a passionate appeal to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.
Sheila Jeruto, a cancer patient who scored an A-, has requested the President and DP Ruto to offer a scholarship to help continue with her education.
Jeruto, diagnosed with the disease five years ago, expressed interest in pursuing a degree in Oncology having withstood tough times to emerge victorious in the examination.
“Cancer patients undergo a lot and despite the pain, I want to achieve my dreams. My humble request to the Presidency is for a scholarship so that I can make a difference in people's lives,” she was quoted by the Standard.
Ms Jeruto expressed surprise in receiving the results having transferred to a day school and spent close to a year admitted in the hospital battling the neck and nose cancer.
“I was anxious as the results were being announced. Mine is a sad tale that finally brought joy. I had to drop out of school and seek chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment but I never lost hope,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Kenyatta sent out a message of encouragement to candidates who recorded low grades in the results which saw a huge performance drop compared to previous years.
President Kenyatta assured the candidates that whatever results they got, “there was still hope and possibility to make it to their career of choice”.
The Head of State maintained that despite the huge drop in performance, the final results and the whole marking process was credible.
Of the over 500,000 students who sat the exam, only 141 had straight As – a 94 percent decline from the previous year when 2,685 students scored an A in 2015. 88,929 candidates scored between A and C+.
