West Pokot Member of County Assembly, Honorable Elijah Lokori Kaseuseu, is a proud man having completed his secondary education. The MCA is celebrating the recently released KCSE exams after achieving a grade of D plus.

He is among the 446,143 candidates who scored between a D plus and a D minus in the 2023 results released by Education CS Ezekiel Machogu.

Hon. Kaseuseu sat for his exams at the Turbo Sub-county Private Centre. Before the release of the exam results on January 8th, Kaseuseu took to his Facebook account to express anxiety he was feeling about his anticipated performance.

“Pressure and tension are very high today,” he wrote.

Upon receiving the results, the MCA noted that he was happy and vowed to work towards obtaining a university degree, one step at a time.

“I am very proud of myself, This journey I will walk slowly until I own a degree. No matter what! Congratulations to me. #NiMunguUkarabatiNaBidii,” he wrote on his Facebook page. 

Hon. Kaseuseu sparked a conversation among Kenyans who questioned whether the academic qualifications for political positions had been set too low.

Many Kenyans congratulated the MCA on his achievement in the KCSE. Responding to those who trolled him on social media, the leader humorously wrote, “Sisi wa D ndio tuko.”

Others raised concerns about how he was able to run for a political seat and emerge victorious without possessing a KCSE certificate.

A spot check by Bizna Kenya revealed that the IEBC did not require MCA aspirants to produce any academic qualifications in the last elections. They were only required to meet the following criteria:

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1. Must be a Kenyan citizen for at least 10 years before the election.
2. Must be a registered voter.
3. Must not owe allegiance to a foreign state.
4. Should be nominated by a political party or be an independent candidate.
5. Must meet the statutory moral and ethical requirements under the Leadership and Integrity Act.
6. Must have been Kenyan citizens for at least 10 years.
7. Must not hold dual citizenship unless citizenship of the other country has been obtained by operation of law without the capacity to opt out.
8. Must not be an undischarged bankrupt.
9. Must not be subject to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months from the date of registration of candidates or the date of elections.
10. Must not have been found to have abused or misused state or public office or contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution.
11. Must not have been dismissed or removed from public office for contravening the provisions of Articles 75, 76, 77, and 78 of the Constitution.

A section of Kenyans lauded him for taking the bold decision to return to school and complete his education, contrary to the vice of forging academic papers to vie for elective seats.

Here are some of the comments:

Bungoma CCO Haggai Kimonge: Congratulations brother, you are an inspiration to many. Enroll for a certificate course as soon as possible.

Jemo Istokui Rotino: Start with certificate of public administration and political science. Good job wero munan

Lydia Cheruto: Well done. I am proud of you. Keep walking when necessary crawl as long as you are progressing. 

Lucy Sergon: This is inspiring, a heart congratulations to you. 

Chiuri Mwangi: Congratulations are in order. Step by step till you get there

Alex Lokimoi: Great achievement. Far you’ve come, furthest you’re going. Congratulations Mhesh.