A 71-year-old great-grandmother is among the candidates sitting the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam.
Cheptakar Kakuko Tukongole, a traditional midwife, joined her classmates in rehearsals at Chepturu Primary in Koloa, Baringo County yesterday. She is index 10.
The septuagenarian exuded confidence that she would pass the examination and proceed to Form One next year.
She says she intends to use her education to become a better midwife.
Yesterday, the mother of 15 children whose best subject is Kiswahili patiently sat at her desk and keenly followed as KCPE invigilators and supervisors explained what is required of candidates during the examination.
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Her husband Tukongole Akanichom died in 2006, and 14 of her children never went to school.
Her first born daughter, Chepterit Tukongole, 51, wished her mother the best of luck.
Although the elderly pupil speaks in Kiswahili, her daughter can only communicate in Pokot.
"None of my children went to school and I am the only person who can communicate in Kiswahili. I can also write but for them it's a dream," she said.
She is the most educated member of her family.
"It is only my last born and I who have taken up the challenge. My other 14 children have not enrolled in school but that has never discouraged us," she said.
Her classmate Cindy Jebiwott, 14, described her as a disciplined, hardworking and reliable pupil despite the numerous obstacles she goes through daily.
"She is a great-grandmother to us but we play, read and share all manner of jokes with her. Among the 15 of us, she is the only pupil allowed in the classroom with a mobile phone," said Cindy.
The elderly pupil said education will help her pass her midwifery skills to others, and help women from her community deliver in safe environment unlike in the past.
According to her, expectant mothers still go to see her, usually on weekends. She assists them deliver inside her house.
In class, Tukungole sits between two boys, Kenneth Kulei, 15 and Joshua Keris, 13, both the age of her great-grand children.
The boys said she likes to keep the class in order and does not entertain noisemakers.
Her exercise books are neatly covered with old newspapers and smartly arranged inside a school bag made from goat skin.
Her class teacher, James Barchiba, described the pupil, who is his mother's age mate, as hardworking and has passion to read and write.
Smartly dressed, she confidently talks about her performance in various subjects.
Like every pupil in the school, she faithfully carries water and firewood to school every morning and shares lunch with the pupils under a tree in front of the school kitchen.
The head teacher, Wilson Loliet, said the great-grandmother is the first adult pupil in the school since it was established in 1983.
