American civil rights activist, Malcolm X once said that education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
Society has embraced education as the door to success- with parents spending millions to ensure their kids attain quality education with the hopes of achieving good grades during the national examinations.
Attaining an A is by no means an easy feat but a class of exceptional students has always risen to the occasion and achieved tremendous performance.
However, it is uncommon to have the same students emerge top in both national examinations. What was once described as an improbable feat came to fruition when Naeem Samnakay topped in the 1985 KCPE and 1989 KCSE exams.
The Alliance High School alumnus achieved the perceived insurmountable feat. Not to be outwitted, Gibert Nyasoko Tengetta emerged as the top student in the 1988 KCPE exams-scoring 556 out of 700.
Four years later, he was ranked top student in the 1992 KCSE examinations.
Female students were not left behind as Daphne Otieno topped the 2013 KCPE exams with 444 marks. At the time, she had tied with Brian Kimutai for the first position countrywide.
In the 2017 KCSE exams, she scored an A of 84.56 points (number 57 countrywide). Her counterpart, Kimutai, didn't appear on the top 100 students list.
In the 2009 Primary Certificate exams, Peter Kamenju was the best candidate with 438 marks in the ranking that saw average marks of 420 to 438 make it to the top 10 list. A look at the 2013 secondary exams, he emerged number 54 countrywide with an A plain of 86 points.
In 2019, the country celebrated the achievement of Tonny Bumula after Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha announced that he was the best student countrywide.
The student from Kapsabet Boys had scored an A with 87.159 points. Initially, in the 2015 KCPE exams, he had scored 433 marks and was ranked among the best students nationally.
Notable mention:
Other students have also emerged as the cream of the crop; appearing on the top 100 list in both national exams. Pangani school alumnus, Morara Mogina, who was number seven countrywide in the 2017 KCSE exams, had scored 423 marks in the primary certificate exams.
On the other hand, Onyango Stanley Omondi joined Maranda High School after scoring 418 marks. He emerged in the top ten list with 85.853 marks.
The Western region was not left behind as Silas Njirimani Kombo scored 407 marks in 2016 KCPE. He later joined Kakamega School and scored an A plain of 83 points in the 2020 KCSE exams.
During the same year, Joseph Joachim Gicheru was ranked among the best with 430 marks in the 2016 KCPE exam. He was admitted to The Alliance High School and later on scored an A with 83 points.
