A 16-year-old ended Kwale County's six-year wait to register an 'A' plain in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
Speaking on Sunday, January 22, Barke Mahsen celebrated her fete, admitting that it took a lot of hard work and determination.
Mahsen, who sat her KCSE exam at the Matuga Girls' High School, was the only student among 10,485 candidates in the county to post the coveted grade.
"It was not very easy because the school calendar was compressed and we had to rush through the syllabus. I also had challenges raising school fees," she reiterated.
Mahsen made Kwale county government proud, after paying her tuition fees. She also revived her school's long-lost academic glory.
Since 2013, no student from Matuga Girls' posted an A plain in KCSE. The teenager attributed her success to maintaining a balance between her academics and leadership.
"I was the school's deputy president and I knew that I had to lead by example," the KCSE top performer told Citizen TV.
Meanwhile, in Kisii, a student who missed out on getting a grade to earn her admission to the university scored a B plain on her fourth attempt.
Damacline Moraa, first did the test at the Getare School and scored a C. However, she wanted to join the university and opted to repeat her Form Four.
She sat KCSE for the second time but still got the same grade. The teenager then registered as a candidate in another school hoping for different fortunes but got a C plain, again.
"I knew that the grades would earn me a place in college but I wanted to get to the university. I knew my family could not afford fees so I had to get a grade that would earn me government sponsorship," Moraa noted.
On her fourth try, attempt, she scored a B, a straight ticket to the university and a qualification to receive funding from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Through her journey, she became expectant and delivered a baby, who celebrated with her. Moraa hopes to pursue a degree in law.
