Kabirer Chief Peter Kemboi from Nandi County has won the admiration of Kenyans after going out of his way to raise funds for a needy student, Eliud Kiplimo who had appealed for help to join form one.
Determined to help the needy student, Kemboi employed the use of WhatsApp to rally the community to help the boy who scored 362 marks in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
Through his efforts, Kemboi was able to raise over Ksh56,000 which was enough to send Kiplimo, the top student in his primary school, to Meteitei Boys Secondary School on Tuesday.
According to the chief, the money will cover the student's Form One school fees.
In what represented a touching moment, Kemboi joined Kiplimo's parents to admit him to school.
Kiplimo's parents expressed their elation at the turn of events since they have been struggling to make ends meet. They revealed that they initially harboured the fear that their child would be forced to repeat.
Consequently, the chief has been praised for intervening and ensuring that the student actualizes his educational goals.
"Chief has done a good job, we need good people like that. All chiefs across the country should go around and make sure children are going to school," one person, expressing his views online commented.
Meanwhile, a well-wisher from Mombasa County who was touched by Kiplimo's story volunteered to chip in and cater for any costs that may not be covered by the monies raised.
As students transition to Form One, a group of bright but needy students are slowly losing hope of joining their dream schools due to financial constraints.
One such student from Kisumu who scored 374 marks was forced to go back to grade 6 after the government phased out the 8-4-4 education curriculum.
Fortunately, well-wishers came to his rescue and admitted him to Kanga High School. However, not all the students are lucky to get funding with most forced to turn to odd jobs.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on Tuesday began a mop-up exercise across the country to guarantee a 100 per cent transition to Form One for all students who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
