A little-known school in Garissa County has surprised many by producing the best candidate in the region in the 2017 KCSE results announced by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi.
Abdi Barre, 18, a Kenyan by birth but who is registered as a ‘refugee’ after his parents were forced to register as refugees in the expansive Dadaab camps after losing their entire herd of livestock to the severe drought of 1992 scored a B+.
According to Al -Azar High School manager Ahmed Sambur, Abdi who was staying with his grandmother in the outskirts of Garissa town struggled raising his school.
He at one point he dropped out of school for lack of fees. His father is based at the Hagadera refugee camp. The mother passed on in 2007.
“We saw the potential in this boy at the early stages and we could not let him go to waste. We had to go for him,” Ahmed said.
“Today I am proud that Abdi did not disappoint us. I want to appeal to our local leadership to support the boy who wants to study medicine at the university,” he added.
A delighted Abdi while speaking to the press narrated how his secondary education has been a struggle from the word go.
“Mine has been a struggle but my sheer determination gave me hope to continue with the struggle. My lowest moments were when I lost my mother and when I temporarily dropped out of school,” Abdi said.
Abdi is the first born in a family of five (three boys and two girls).
He challenged candidates to focus on their education noting that it doesn’t matter the school they are in or the changes that have been made in the examination management by Dr Matiang’i.
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“Students look for scapegoats when they don’t perform well. With hard work and discipline any candidate whether from Mandera, Nairobi or anywhere in the country has the potential to excel, irrespective of the school he or she is in,” he said.
On his part Ayale Abdi from the same school who scored a B- thanked the teachers, fellow students and parents for their support and encouragement.
There was no single school from North Eastern region that was ranked among the top 100 nationally.
