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How KCB scholars shone in KCSE 2024

They utilised the help with school fees to make their parents, communities proud.

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by PERPETUA ETYANG

Big-read03 February 2025 - 22:10
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In Summary


  • Brian Mutuku scored an A- from Machakos School, reportedly making him the first person to achieve such a high score in the area.
  • Benjamin Osago promised his parents to bring home an A- of 74 points in his final national examinations, which he did.

Brian Mutuku and his grandmother Elizabeth Joel in Machakos /KCB

In the scorching sun, rolling hills and billowing dust of Machakos, various candidates in the KCSE exam overcame immense challenges to achieve academic excellence.

We were dripping with sweat by the time we reached the home of Brian Mutuku, one of those who triumphed against all odds.

Mutuku went to high school through the help the KCB Foundation. His journey is a testament of resilience and hard work.

He welcomed us to his home, a small well-manicured compound filled with the fragrance of blooming flowers and rustling leaves.

The neatly trimmed hedges and well-maintained flower beds spoke volumes about the dedication and efforts of Mutuku, who lives with his grandmother Elizabeth Joel.

Mutuku was left in the hands of his grandmother while at a young age, and she looked after his basic needs. On matters education, Mutuku did not disappoint his grandmother.

He scored an A- from Machakos School, reportedly making him the first person to achieve such a high score in the area.

“Getting an A- was not so good, I expected an A plain, however, I appreciate the grade I got and I will build a career from it,” Mutuku says.

He says pressure from the society to succeed pushed him to study hard and get good grades through high school.

Mutuku says the only way he could repay his grandmother, the community and the KCB Foundation was by good performance in his national examination.

“My grandmother was so supportive, she encouraged me to work extra hard, saying that I had nowhere to go if I failed,” Mutuku said.

“Even with age catching up with her, she did not miss visiting days in school.”

Mutuku wants to pursue agriculture before he transitions to university hopefully to study medicine.

“When you get such an opportunity, read like your life depends on it. Maximise on it because it only comes once in a lifetime. If it were not for KCB Foundation, I would not be here. They have built me to the person I am today,” he said.

‘LEFT HOME TO BUILD’

Mutuku’s story is similar to that of Marwa Haji, who is also a beneficiary of the KCB Foundation.

With her home located kilometres away, Haji from Mandera tells us that the ambition, drive and passion that she had to change her community pushed her to work hard and succeed in the 2024 KCSE examination.

She says her background does not define her and just like thousands of her community members, ‘she left home to build home’.

Her passion for education is evident as she has traversed hundreds of kilometers for studies to better the lives of her family and community.

She worked hard in primary school and dreamt of joining Loreto High School Limuru.

“Growing up, we did not have the luxury of teachers every day because the area was insecure. Most of them fled and we found it hard to do our studies,” Haji said.

“I went to a public primary school in Mandera, where education was free save for basic needs.

“My parents struggled to provide us with three meals a day but we lived with the hope of a better life. I was lucky to have applied and was picked by KCB Foundation for scholarship.”

Haji said KCB Foundation paid her school fees, provided pocket money, uniform and shopping throughout the high school level.

Vallary Chepng’eno with her parents Job and Gladys Chepkwony in Nakuru /KCB

“They would assemble us for motivation speaking every term, which encouraged us to work hard and achieve our dreams and goals.”

Haji scored a B- and wants to delve into the field of Information Technology and pursue a career.

“It is not the grade I wanted. Mathematics made me not to score the A plain I expected. However, I look forward to upgrading my mathematics to pursue my dream career,” she said.

Haji says she will keep the fire burning to transform her life and that of the community.

“You should not give up on your dreams. Don’t be scared of going to new places in search of what you want. Go for it because you only have one chance.”

ROAD TO SUCCESS

Another beneficiary, Benjamin Osago, also narrated his journey to success.

While bidding his parents goodbye for the last term in school, Benjamin Osago promised his parents to bring home an A- of 74 points in his final national examinations.

The promise he made to his parents, he said, motivated him to continue working hard to fulfill them.

His efforts in the last term helped him get an A- of 75 points, not only achieving his goal but also putting a smile on his parents’ face.

Osago, who studied in Maranda High School in Siaya, remembers how he had it rough in his academic journey.

“Life was hard when I was in primary school. I studied hard but I would constantly move schools due to lack of school fees,” Osago said.

“I got 406 marks. I was one of the best students in school and I was very happy. There were a lot of expectations from my teachers, I had no option but to do my best.”

Osago received support from the KCB Foundation to pursue high school without being sent home for school fees.

He said the KCB Foundation provided school fees, shopping and pocket money.

KCB scholars in the region received mentorship on the importance of succeeding in an academic journey.

“One thing that motivated me is my family. The state which my family is at right now, I would not like it to be the same in the next five or 10 years,” he said.

“I want to be the one to change them because I have siblings who need school fees.”

FATHER’S JOY

Obedient, hardworking and honest, is how Osago’s father Jacob described his son with tears of joy. Jacob looked up to his son, trying to explain that it is not the end of studying but just the beginning of another level in life.

“When Benjamin is in the house, everything just flows. He does house chores, helps around with his siblings and settles down to read whenever he finds time,” he said.

Jacob said the KCB Foundation has helped offset school fees, which was becoming a burden to the family.

He said the help came at the right time when he needed it most. Another beneficiary, Vallary Chepng’eno, could not hide her joy for making her parents proud.

Having been brought up in hardship circumstances in the vast area of Njoro in Nakuru, her success was a huge relief.

“It is because of her that we work hard, she has not disappointed either,” the parents said proudly.

She studied at St Joseph’s Girl’s in Chepterit, Nandi county and scored an A- in the 2024 KCSE examination.

Chepng’eno said she would have scored an A were it not for some challenges she experienced at home.

Benjamin Osago and his father Jacob Osago /KCB

“The only time I could read was during the day because we do not have electricity,” she said.

“If I could have gotten the chance to study at night, maybe we could be talking about a different grade. However, I am grateful for the grade I got.”

Chepng’eno narrated how she would forgo sleep and sometimes breaks to create time to read. “I used to wake up at 4am and I extended in class at night. During weekends when the teachers are not in, I could utilise that time to go through a set book and read ahead of the teachers,” she said.

School fees was the major challenge to her while in primary school. She recalls being sent home regularly to collect school fees.

However, with the help of KCB Foundation, her journey in high school became smooth as she was provided with school fees, shopping and pocket money.

Chepng’eno looks forward to pursue a medicine or civil engineering course in university.

Scholar Marwa Haji in Nairobi/KCB

FOUNDATION’S HELP

The KCB Foundation has helped students who are from underprivileged backgrounds to pay school fees, get shopping and pocket money.

It also offers motivational events at the beginning of every term to encourage students as they begin their school calendar.

Since its inception in 2007, the KCB Foundation has sponsored more than 5,000 scholars, with 90 per cent transition to tertiary education, internship support and job linkages.

The KCB Foundation has so far disbursed more than Sh2 billion in school fees.

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