President William Ruto has shared a personal story of how he once dreamt of joining Starehe Boys Centre but missed the opportunity.
The President said he missed joining Starehe Boys Centre despite being the top student after falling short of the required marks.
Speaking during the 70th anniversary celebrations of the African Inland Church (AIC) Ziwani, held at the Starehe Boys field in Nairobi, the President said his ambition to join Starehe began when a boy from his village was admitted to the institution in 1978.
“Nilitamani sana kuja Starehe nikiwa class 7 lakini sikupata bahati. Nilitamani kuja hapa kwa sababu kuna jamaa mmoja wa kijiji yetu alikuja hapa kwa kuwa the best student in 1978. Huko kijiji mtu akikuja Nairobi, maneno makubwa sana hayo, alafu Starehe Boys Centre, miujiza,” Ruto said.
This translates to:
(I wanted to come to Starehe Boys Centre when I was in class seven, but I was not lucky, I missed the cut. I wanted to come here because a boy from our village was called to this school in 1978 because he was the best student that year. In our village, coming to Nairobi was a big deal and combining it with Starehe Boys Centre admission was like a miracle.)
Ruto recalled praying to excel in his Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) exams to secure a spot at Starehe.
Despite being the best in his school, he missed the Starehe cut-off by three marks.
“I prayed to God to help me pass my examination to be the best student and be admitted at the Starehe Boys Centre. When I was doing my CPE in 1980, I was the best student in my school like the other boy, however he got an overall mark of 36 and I got 33, I did not make it but I was still the best student,” the President added.
Ruto said he now feels privileged to give back to the school that once inspired him, announcing a Sh60 million government grant to replace its asbestos roof.
“Even if I missed the opportunity to study here, I will repair the roof to build my relationship with Starehe Boys Centre,” he said.
“I have been told that the roof of the school is asbestos which was banned by the government. The government will give out Sh60 million to change and support the infrastructure in this school. The project will begin in December when schools close for the holidays.”
He added that the project, which will replace the banned asbestos roofing and improve school infrastructure, will begin in December when schools close for the holidays.
