Top students draw inspiration from First Lady Margaret Kenyatta

NAKURU: It had been a long four-year and close-knit friendship that no one ever imagined to break geographical barriers – and it did not disappoint, at least for now.

When Nakayo Ekwee Ethuro and Cindy Chemutai Kenei first met at Moi High School Kabarak in 2011, they never expected that they would share a cocktail of similarities in their lives.

It was not long before the two began to draw inspiration from First Lady Margaret Kenyatta’s Beyond Zero campaign – that seeks to reduce cases of mother and child mortality. And the result was straight A’s in KCSE.

Nakayo, the daughter of Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro and her friend Cindy Chemutai Kenei scored 83 and 84 points respectively. Incidentally, the two share similarities: Chemutai, 17, is a cousin to Eusilah Ng’eny, the Uasin Gishu County Woman Representative and wife of 1,500 Olympic champion Noah Ng’eny. On the other hand, Nakayo, 18, is a cousin to Joyce Emanikor, the Turkana County Woman Representative.

“I was greatly encouraged by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta to work hard, considering the hardships girls undergo in our county (Turkana). I want to pursue Gas and Petroleum Engineering and hopefully work with Tullow Company in oil exploration. This is a mineral I really feel will help our county and there is no way I can help turn around its economy without the required skills,” Nakayo said at the Standard Group offices in Nairobi yesterday.

She added: “I would have loved to take part in First Lady half marathon this weekend (tomorrow) to show solidarity with her. But I have not trained. I will prepare for next year’s race. My dad (Ekwe Ethuro) and mum Judith Ethuro have kept on reminding me to work hard. They, at times, wake me up to study.”

“The performance of my girl was initially not good. But she really worked hard in the final year. She kept sharing with me how they study and exchange ideas with her friend Chemutai and they finally made it. Her (Nakayo) performance spices up the good performance that her younger sister posted in KCPE last year,” said the Senate Speaker. Chemutai aspires to do medicine. Her father Sammy Kenei is a software engineer in Nairobi.