They say class is permanent and one Johnson Mahugu has lived true to this old adage courtesy of his exemplary performance in national exams.
On Monday, November 19, 2018, when then Education CS Amina Mohammed released KCPE results, Mahugu’s name featured among the best ten performers.
And like Odhiambo of Kakamega Hill Academy and Wachira of Riara Group of Schools, Mahugu too tied in the tenth position with Saidah Meir of Tenwek Boarding Primary in Bomet.
In that year’s exam, boys performed better than girls in sciences while girls did better in languages.
Fast forward four years later on January 20, 2023, the 2022 KCSE exam results were announced by current Education CS Ezekiel Machogu and Mahugu, once again, made the cut in the top ten slots.
He scored a straight A of the maximum 84 points to be among the elite performers in the secondary education exams.
None of the top candidates with whom his photo was splashed on the front page of The Star on November 20, 2018, featured in the top ten list in the 2022 KCSE.
Intrigued, I inquired from the Mangu High School alumnus how he managed to pull off the rare feat.
“You know high school is different from primary school because in primary the teachers pressure you to study but in high school, it’s up to you as an individual. I guess that’s where most top performers in KCPE go wrong, some of them relax but I took it upon myself to study,” he said.
Mahugu, 18, credited his mother for challenging him to rise to the occasion and study even harder now that the spotlight was on him.
He said her advice came in handy as it propelled him to study even harder when he started to falter a bit.
“My mother told me that it was a new starting point after graduating from primary. In Form One and Two I wasn’t doing that well, I was getting a B grade. I wasn’t quite good in mathematics, I was getting 50s. Whenever I got 60, I would celebrate.”
Mahugu was among the 875 male candidates who scooped straight As in the 2022 KCSE exam out of a total of 1146 A graders.
It was impossible to tell who was the best candidate overall as the government scrapped grading schools and candidates in a new policy aimed at discouraging toxic competition.
But even then, Machogu revealed on Friday that Mangu was the top school overall with 82 As.
He dismissed as false a narrative that Nyambaria National School from Nyamira county had the highest number of A grades.
The CS said Mangu was followed by Alliance High (72), Maranda (68) while Kapsabet Boys came in position five with 52 As.
Mahugu explained that it took self-sacrifice for him to manage an impressive performance and be among the best.
He said the drop in performance in the initial stages of his secondary school studies somewhat jerked him into taking action.
“In Form 3, I realized KCSE was near. I started getting more serious, started sacrificing my time and looking for teachers. Sometimes even miss entertainment so that I could continue studying.”
But even then, Mahugu said he ensured there was a balance to keep fatigued at bay.
“I made good use of my time, made good use of my teachers and classmates who were able in subjects I had problems with.”
He said his mother again chipped in and made arrangements with physics teachers to give him extra tuition in practicals which he wasn’t so good at.
“My parents also bought the necessary revision books and prayed. You know parents’ prayers are very important.”
Mahugu advised candidates preparing to sit exams to seek help from fellow students who are strong in various subjects to improve their performance.
“Students are very important even more than your teachers because you interact with them. After an exam you can gauge yourself and know where you are as an individual," he said.
“Even when things seem to be going badly, don’t give up. Have a strategy, work on your weak points, strengthen your strong areas and all will be well.”
Mahugu said his favourite subject in primary school was science while in Secondary school, it was biology.
He said his dream is to study medicine and become an oncologist.
