KCSE candidate sits exam hours after giving birth

BY NIKKO TANUI

Kericho, Kenya: A Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidate in Kericho County went into labour on Tuesday and gave birth to a baby boy Wednesday night at Kericho District hospital.

The 17 years old form four student at Kenegut High school was rushed to the hospital’s maternity wing at 4 PM on Tuesday and sat her Biology Paper 1 examination under supervision at the labour ward on Wednesday morning and delivered her baby at 11 PM in the night.

“The teen mother had a natural child birth and the baby and the mother are doing fine,” a source at the hospital said.

On Thursday morning, the student took a break from nursing her baby and sat her Kiswahili Paper.

The student declined to talk to the press and rejected baby gifts from well-wishers who had gone to the hospital to visit and wish her good luck with her examination. However, other new mothers in the maternity ward were happy to receive and share the contents of the bag of goodies.

Nonetheless, in an earlier interview, the student’s mother told the press that her daughter had in spite of the pregnancy regularly attended her classes and had also prepared well for the examination and expressed confidence that she will perform well.

Kericho District Education Officer Alice Kirui, said the incident of the candidate giving birth in the middle of the examination was the first to be reported in the county this year.

She added that there were no other incident reported in the area and the examination was proceeding smoothly and expressed hope that it will be completed without any hitch.