Alvin Kipchirchir and Allan Kibet who are among the three sets of twins who were admitted to form one at St Patrick's Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet. [Kevin Tunoi, Standard]
Three sets of twins met for the first time on Wednesday at St Patrick’s High School Iten.
The twins, Samuel Kiprop and his brother Paul Kiprotich, Alvin Kipchirchir and Allan Kibet, as well as Emmanuel Odongo and Gabriel Opiyo, caused a stir when they reported to the school on Wednesday.
Kiprop and Kiprotich (14) come from Kitale, Kipchirchir and Kibet (13) from Kericho while Odongo and Opiyo (13) come from Machakos.
The three sets of twins did not know each other before, having been selected through a random computer-generated form one selection system, and met for the first time on Wednesday.
This is not the first time that the school has found itself hosting similarly related students.
Last year admissions
Last year, triplets Amos Yegon, Samson Yegon, and Gideon Yegon, from Kuresoi North, joined the school. They are currently in Form Two.
The school’s principal Peter Rotich described this year’s admission of the three sets of twins who scored between 370 marks and 408 marks in their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) as ‘historic’ and purely coincidental.
He expressed confidence that they would continue performing well.
“They are focused; they are young and they know what they want in life,” he said.
Each of the boys said they have maintained a strong bond with their twin throughout primary school and any separation at secondary school would have been devastating.
For the pair of Kiprop and Kiprotich 14, who scored 408 and 400 marks respectively in the KCPE examination at St Aursula’s Primary School in Kitale, their admission to St Patrick’s was a dream come true.
“Going to separate high schools would have been devastating to us and our mother. Throughout our lives, she wanted us to be close to each other,” said Kiprop.
At the new school, both sleep in the same dormitory, with their beds positioned opposite each other.
“Parting ways in secondary school would have been bad. I can’t even imagine that I would be here and my brother elsewhere. I would be thinking about him all the time and I am certain he would be thinking about me in the other school,” said Kiprotich.
Impressive KCPE results
Kipchirchir and Kibet, posted impressive KCPE examination results at Chumo Educational Centre in Kericho County, scoring 404 and 370 marks respectively. The twins are booked in separate classrooms, but the same dormitory.
“St Patrick’s High School was my second choice and my brother’s third choice. It is amazing that despite the disparity in our KCPE marks and difference in preference for schools, we ended up being picked to join the same school,” said Kipchirchir.
As for Odongo and Opiyo, the automated selection system placed them in St Patrick’s even though one of them had picked the school as his second choice.
However, both have separate future ambitions- Odongo wants to be a medical doctor while his brother Opiyo wants to be an architect.
Opiyo’s class teacher, Dickson Sarara said it was surprising that the sets of twins secured admission to the school purely through an automated selection system. “It is a privilege that we are hosting them,” said the teacher.
The school’s form one admission coordinator, Terwes Kiplagat, said similarly related students who have joined the school in the past have always posted similar performances in both academics and sports.
“Last year we had triplets and this time, we surprisingly received three sets,” Mr Kiplagat said.
