School run by church savour best performance

"I expected to perform well but I didn't know I would be the best candidate in school. In the previous exams I have mostly taken second position downwards. I was surprised but I am really excited," said Kibe.

He attributed the performance to hard work and support from his parents and teachers.

"It took me a lot of sacrifice by waking up early and putting extra effort in revision to achieve the score," said Kibe who aspires to be a software engineer.

He now hopes to join Mang'u High School, which was his first choice.

Just like Kibe, Njooro termed the results as surprising but exciting as he did not expect to score the high marks.

"I set the bar fairly high but certainly I did not expect to perform this well," he said.

His message to fellow candidates is, "Those who score highly should not look down on others because someone can really surprise you. Those who score lowly should not lose hope but keep on being persistent in their work and God will do the rest."

Like Kibe, Njooro aspires to join Mang'u High School. He said he would establish his dream career after joining secondary school.

Christine Kibe, mother of the top candidate, attributed her son's win to determination. She said the performance was well deserved.

"The boy used to sleep late at night doing his studies and at times we had to force him to go to bed. We are ready to hold his hands in the next phase of his education life until he achieves his dreams," said Mrs Kibe.

Some 70 candidates in Sukari Presbyterian Academy scored between 350 and 399 marks, while 17 others managed between 300 and 349 marks. Only three scored below 300 marks, with the lowest score being 274.

Rechael Njeri and her twin sister Shakainah Wambui scored 417 and 415 marks, respectively.

School Headteacher Phillip Mukui said the performance was a big achievement, given that the candidates had to cover the Standard Eight curriculum in just six months.

"The term was very short and the students undertook four terms this year but the teachers were supportive because they finished the syllabus in two terms," said Mukui.