Despair, anxiety for bright pupils denied places in national schools

Moi Girls High School Eldoret Deputy Principal Loice Karoney (left) admits top student Pauline Senelwa to the school.  [PHOTOS: BEVERLYNE MUSILI AND KEVIN TUNOI/STANDARD]

By LILLIAN ALUANGA-DELVAUX

Eldoret, Kenya: Starting this month, thousands of pupils will join Form One in secondary schools across the country. Among them is 14-year-old Pauline Senelwa, whose dream of joining Moi Girls High School, Eldoret, was almost dashed despite scoring 425 marks out of 500. Senelwa, who had scored As in all five subjects in the 2013 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, was initially not among those selected to join a National school this year, sending her family into a panic.