Against odds: Kwale sickle cell warrior who triumphed in KCSE from hospital bed

According to CDC, sickle cell is a genetic condition present at birth, inherited when a child receives two genes-one from each parent-that code for abnormal hemoglobin. [iStockphoto]

Bill Olenyo sat all his 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination papers except practicals at the Kwale sub-county hospital while battling sickle cell anaemia and passed.

Olenyo, 18, was born with the disease and has been in and out of the hospital since he was a child.  He obtained a B grade and now aspires to join Kenyatta University to pursue a medicine course.

His school, Kwale Boys High, is less than a kilometre away from the Kwale subcounty hospital, and this made it easier to get the papers and do the practicals. Earlier, he was severely admitted to Diani Hospital in Ukunda town, 35 km away, due to his health condition.

"I was admitted to the hospital on a Thursday when the examinations were due to start the following Monday. The doctor recommended that I remain in the ward for treatment and observation. When the time came, I was wheeled from the ward to a room next to the maternity wing. I used that room until I finished the exams," he said yesterday.

He said he sat the first paper in great pain, and this made him a bit worried, although the situation eased in the following days.

For his practicals, a vehicle was always dispatched from Kwale Boys High School in an arrangement between the school and the hospital to ensure he did not miss his examinations.

He scored a C plus in mathematics, straight As in English, and a B plus in biology and chemistry, although he said he would have done better.

Olenyo obtained 393 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams at Methodist Academy in Kwale town to get a place at Kwale High School.

Because of his sterling performance and bravery, his maternal grandfather, Mr Nassir Maulid, described Olenyo as a lion.

"Despite his health challenges, Bill is a hard-working boy and very brave. He is a lion," he said proudly.

Maulid thanked the Kwale County government, the hospital staff, and Kwale Boys High School for assisting Olenyo in sitting all his exam papers despite being admitted.

Olenyo's aunt, Ms Mishi Nassir, said he has always been in and out ofthe hospital but still performed well, and the family was proud of him.

Mishi said Olenyo was admitted several times at Diani Hospital and thanked teachers for always understanding his condition and releasing him even at night to attend treatment whenever an emergency arose.

"When his KCSE exams were due, the doctor at Kwale subcounty hospital recommended that he should not be discharged, as they wanted to continue to treat and observe him. That is why he was discharged after he completed his exams," she said.

She said at the hospital, he was given a table and a chair in a quiet room to do his exams. He was then wheeled back to the ward after finishing his day's papers.

Kwale Boys High School is one of the top public secondary schools in the Coast region.

According to the principal, Mr Mike Mutua, the school managed a mean grade of 9.3 in the 2025 KCSE exams.

It had a university transition of 97.57 per cent and 403 quality grades. The school, which had 413 candidates, obtained five straight As, 38 A minuses, 86 B pluses, 131 B minuses, 98 B minuses, and 45 C pluses.