These celebrities are a true testimony to the fact that the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination grades don’t define one’s success in life.
There is a notion that the most successful people in life are graduates, and this belief is partly to blame for cases of cheating in exams.
However, the reality is that uneducated or less educated people in Kenya are more successful that the educated ones.
A recent survey showed that more uneducated men in Kenya own a house than those that have attended middle-level colleges and universities.
The Demographic and Health Survey 2022 released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on January 17, 2023, showed that 46.7 per cent of men who own a house have no formal education, compared to 32.2 per cent that have gone beyond secondary school.
With that said, below are the three celebs who defied their KCSE grade to become successful in life.
Khaligraph Jones
Khaligraph first opened up about his KCSE grade in his song ‘Maombi Ya Mama’ where he talked about his life struggles, revealing that he got a D+.
Part of the lyrics go…
Wausema education is the key
But lets agree tunaeza agree ku disagree
A younger me thought ntapata kadegree
Then nikamada highschool kama nimescore ki D
But D+ inaeza kupeleka wapi na form kiasi ikijipa uko lucky
But would you believe it if I told you that I was happy
But si ati story ya chuo mi nilikuwanga staki
Coz I dropped out for three years before nijoin seco
Hakukuwa na doh ya fee ama msee wa kuisettle
My decision to go back to school thereafter
Was a choice that I made ndo nifunge iyo chapter
And I know my parents tried their best
Coz a generational curse was laid to rest
Na yes, sikufika uni but nilisafisha rada
Na sijui ingekuwa vipi bila maombi ya madha
Khaligraph elaborated on his KCSE grade in March 2022 during the launch of his album Invincible Currency, revealing the challenges he went through during his childhood.
The rapper reaffirmed that he got D+ in the KCSE exams. He said that he only wanted to complete secondary school and become the first one in his family to do so having struggled with school fees during his study.
Khaligraph reiterated that he dropped out of school for three years due to a lack of school fees.
“Me going back to school was not even necessary for me but I felt like I needed to do it because I am the fourth born in a family of six kids and I was the first to finish high school, so I feel like I had to break that generational curse and I did it,” Khaligraph said during an interview with Buzz Central.
Akothee
In January 2017, Akothee shared her touching journey from being a housewife for 10 years to going back to school and scoring a C+ in KCSE.
In an emotional post on Facebook, the singer even attached a photo of her KCSE exam slip.
She reminisced about how she dropped from school at the tender age of 14 to get married to her teen sweetheart and got three children by the age of 20.
However, after 10 years of being a housewife, she decided to go back to school and scored a mean grade of C+ at Wasio Mixed Secondary school in 2004.
“I dropped out of school & got married at the age of 14 , I had 4 kids by the time I was 20 years old , I served my mother in law as a house girl for 7 solid years since my then husband was a student , I collected myself in 2003 & decided to go back to school after staying in the house as a house wife for 10 years , I scored C+, I was the 3rd best in our school & the first girl , it’s never too late , you can achieve what you want if you go for it , maths 🙈🙈🙈🙈has its owners , even that D- ilikuwa kimungu Mungu tuu , so now you understand my broken English , even for 12 years in school professionals managed to pull me up to C , so expect many english mistakes 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂never compare yourself with any one , you might be in chapter 1 & them in chapter 10 , comparison is the enemy of joy .😍😍😍😍,” Akothee wrote.
Jalang’o
Lang’ata Member of Parliament (MP) Felix Odiwuor alias Jalang’o talked about his grade in January 2023, while interviewing rapper Trio Mio who just got his KCSE results.
Jalang’o revealed that he got a C+ in KCSE while trying to make Trio Mio publicly reveal what grade he got.
Jalang’o: How did you perform?
Trio: I did my best bro.
Jalang’o: What is your best? Me I can easily say I am proud, I am a C+ student.
Trio: I am proud of myself too bro. Siwezi kupima.
Jalang’o: Are you happy with the way you perform?
Trio: I am very happy.
Jalang’o: So u got an A?
Trio: I got whatever I got bro. Team yangu ikiwa ready tutawaambia.
