Lavenda Awuor , against insurmountable odds, scored A plain in the 2022 KCSE having been seriously sick during the exam period.
When Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu released the results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) on Friday, January 20, 2023, he said that boys performed better than girls.
But Lavenda Awuor was among the only 271 female students who scored A plain in the 2022 KCSE exams.
Her case is a classical example of defying all odds to excel as she sat for KCSE exams from a hospital bed.
Awuor, who has been battling chronic anaemia since her childhood, was admitted to the hospital when she got seriously sick just a week into the KCSE exams.
The 18-year-old who hails from Langas estate in Eldoret, Uasin Gichu county, fell sick while sitting for biology exams.
Awuor sat for the remainder of her exams from the hospital bed. Her parents and teachers said she wouldn’t allow anything to come between her and the hard work she had invested in her four years of study.
When KCSE results were announced on Friday, it emerged that Awuor had scored A plain of 81 points.
The girl’s father Pius Ouru said that upon learning about the news of his daughter scoring an A plain, the entire family broke down in tears as they reflected on the painful moments they went through as they watched her write her exams while sick.
“I have struggled with my daughter since her childhood, but seeing her sick at the most crucial moment of her life broke me to the core. There are occasions when I would pray to God not to allow her to suffer, at least not when writing her KCSE. Unfortunately, the condition came up. My daughter was brave and steadfast and as a family, we celebrate her,” Awour’s father said.
“I don’t have a stable job but I want to see my daughter achieve her dream of becoming a medical doctor. As a parent and a father, I want to give the best to my daughter, but you can see the condition we live in and I have other four children I am taking care of,” he added.
The girl’s mother Caroline Adhiambo recounted the agony of raising an anaemic daughter and the heartbreaking moments of Awour sitting for KCSE while bedridden.
“Raising an anaemic child is not easy. There are occasions when I would cry seeing her suffer, but I still trusted that God would see her through the exam period. My daughter is exceptional because despite the pain she was going through, she still insisted on sitting for her exams,” Awuor’s mother said.
Awuor said that she was determined to excel in KCSE even though she got sick while sitting for the exams.
“I was determined to do my best in the exams and even though I fell ill midway through the exams. I resolved to fight on despite the pain I was going through. My teachers and parents have been supportive and throughout the exam period, they gave me all the help I needed,” Awuor said.
“I want to pursue medicine at the university and I hope someday I can help the world find a permanent cure for sickle cell because I experience the pain first-hand,” she added.
Uasin Gishu High School principal Mercy Juma lauded Awuor’s determination and hard work. She stated that the school was willing to go all the way to help one of their brightest students who they frequently called Kenya 1.
Awuor scored 404 marks when she sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). She secured admission at Kolanya Girls High school but because of her medical condition, her parents opted to take her to Uasin Gishu High School – a mixed-day school.
Substantial information provided by Timothy Simwa.
