Ken Carson's story warmed the hearts of Kenyans after the KCSE 2007 Grade A student built a multi-million house next to his former primary school in Seme, Kisumu County.
His intention, he stated, was to motivate students in his community noting that he shared a similar story with the thousands of students in the area.
Carson - now an orthodontist - during the housewarming that was shared by YouTuber Jarunda Jaluth, narrated his struggles in schooling, revealing that he could not join his dream school despite posting excellent results in KCPE.
The medical doctor reminisced that he was to join Maseno school. However, his parents could not afford the fees prompting his father to encourage him to take up carpentry.
His mother, on the other hand, was willing to sell part of their property to take him to school. Consequently, they sought an opportunity at Chulaimbo High School - a journey he stated he would never forget.
"On February 6, 2004, at 3 am, my dad and I set out on a bicycle to Chulaimbo High School (a distance of 40 km). By 6.30 am, we were already in the school compound.
"We sat at the visitors' bench. The principal noticed us and summoned us in. We had no admission letter or school fees. Dad handed over the result slip. It was a chance for me," he stated.
The doctor added that he was called by the then principal - Hezron Oyolla - after a fortnight with his father tasked with supplying farm produce to the school.
Carson was admitted as a day scholar and had to rent a house next to the school given that his home was far away. However, due to his impressive results, the principal took a chance on him and enrolled him as a boarder.
"We made him a full boarder who could not be sent home for fees because I saw an A plain and that was rare during that time. I never wanted that grade to go," the Principal stated at the event.
Eventually, in the 2007 KCSE results, Carson made history in the school when he registered its first A plain.
This enabled him to join Moi University before moving to Indiana University School of Dentistry school where he studied to become an orthodontist.
At the housewarming, he invited his teachers all the way from nursery to thank them for shaping him into the man he had become.
"Doctor Oyolla (former principal), may the Lord bless you. Sometimes when I remember everything, I just break down.
"He always protected me. Even when they wanted to chase me for fees, he could organise for me to remain in school. We were suffering at home and I wanted to change things," the medic stated while fighting tears back.
As a way of giving back, he stated that he would mentor the local students to encourage them to reach their limits even as he pledged to support the primary school infrastructure programmes.
Carson currently works at the Lake Basin Dental and Orthodontic Center.
