Moses Kabira’s life was never the same again when he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in 2016.
Having been battling numerous challenges back home, Kabira’s performance in the exam was affected, and he only managed to score 295 marks out of 500, with a C plain in Kiswahili, B- in Mathematics and science, C+ in English, and a C+ in Social Studies and Religious Education.
He revealed the performance made him a laughing stock with some people telling him he would never be successful in life.
His parents however stood with him and encouraged him that he had another chance to prove his ability.
His wish to excel in his studies and get his family out of poverty became a reality four years later when he sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam at Njihia Boys High School in Igembe Central, Meru County.
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The boy who had previously been ridiculed for low performance was now the talk of the town after registering an A plain of 81 out of the possible 84 points, only dropping points in English and Kiswahili.
He scored straight As in Biology, Mathematics, Physics, History and Government, and Business Studies, an A- in Kiswahili and a B+ in English.
He credited his impressive performance to support from his teachers and thourough revision with his friends during the build-up to the KCSE exam.
He thanked his principal Mr. Gitonga Imunya for allowing him to stay in school despite fee problems. Kabira expressed his wish to pursue medicine at the University.
I got 445 marks in primary when KCPE was over 700 marks. I then got a B- in High School. Those days, B- would not go to University thorough government placement. I had to sponsor myself through campus and it was quite expensive. I would work and then go to school in the evenings. In our class we had the regular students who got As in high school and who we really thought were sharp. I got a first class honors and none of those who had gotten A in high school were in the list of first class honors. Nobody should despise his grade! You can still make it in life!!