A form four candidate, Diba Matacho, who had been stranded at the Marsabit Referral Hospital for three years beat all odds to score a B- (minus) in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
The 22-year-old was stuck at the hospital after he was diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis in 2017.
According to the hospital staff, the young man was elated by the results he garnered despite the many challenges he had endured.
"We are proud of Matacho as the Marsabit Referral Hospital fraternity," stated Liban Wako, CEO of the hospital.
The CEO that Matacho hoped to pursue a career in Medical Engineering to help other patients or join a Kenyan University for a course in Accounting.
Matacho was short of words after the generosity he had been shown by well-wishers who helped him get a portable oxygen machine in 2022.
"I appreciate all the well-wishers who helped me through my time at the hospital. I am happy with what I scored," he stated.
The patient, however, expected to score a B (plain) or an A but was content with the grade he got.
Matacho first enrolled in a high school in 2014 but was forced to drop out due to the illness.
While seeking treatment, he got referred to different hospitals including the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) but the treatment and medication were too expensive forcing him to resort to a fundraiser.
His friends and family managed to raise approximately Ksh 500,000 which catered to part of his medical expenses.
Matacho was among the 841,416 students who sat the 2022 KCSE examination, an increase from 826,807 candidates who took the test in 2021.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, while releasing the results on Friday, January 20, announced that 173,345 candidates scored C+ and above hitting the minimum university entry mark.
