Desire to help parents fired us to the top

By Standard Team

To beat 337,403 students in a national examination is certainly not a walk in the park.

David Gathuku Ndung’u from Mangu High School emerged tops in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

Grace Wambui Njung’e from Moi Girls High School, Eldoret, also emerged the top female student nationally.

The two students said it takes hard work and dedication, while luck counts for nothing.

David, 18, scored 87.26 points while Grace also 18, posted 87.16 to take top positions in the exam results announced by Education Minister Sam Ongeri, yesterday.

Interestingly, David did not perform so well four years ago when he sat his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at St Hannah’s Preparatory School in Karen, Nairobi. He scored 451 marks and was ranked 18 nationally. So what trick did he have up his sleeve this time round?

"I guess I became more serious when I got into high school," he told us when we met him in Nairobi West.

He said he could not believe when the minister mentioned his name as the top student nationally.

"I just don’t know what to say, but I am happier than I can say with words. I need time for the news to sink in well," he said.

Later, a hooting car approached his home. His mother, grandmother and several relatives jumped out of the car and hugged him amid tears of joy.

Neighbours join in

The hitherto quiet neighbourhood was filled with singing and dancing.

His grandmother, Virginia Gatuku, stole the show when she led the family and neighbours into a scintillating traditional jig.

"I am happy my prayers about David have been answered. We had a lot of hopes in him and we are not disappointed," his mother, Teresia Nyambura, said.

Asked what inspired him, David said he knew his family and teachers expected him to do well. "I could see my mum and other people close to me had a lot of faith in my abilities. The thought of letting them down was too much for me. I had no choice but to give it my best," he said.

Another inspiration was Bugei Nyaosi, a former schoolmate at St Hannah’s Preparatory School, who emerged second best in the 2008 KCSE.

"When I saw how Nyaosi performed, I told myself I could also do well, more so because I knew him," he said.

David says his dream to be an electrical engineer is now taking shape.

"I have always loved playing around with electrical appliances since I was a child and no other career interests me this much," he said.

Meanwhile, David is pursuing a diploma in business information technology at Strathmore University, thanks to a scholarship he won during a mathematics contest last year.

When The Standard caught up with Grace at Rukuriri village in Embu, she was overjoyed.

Dream career

"I did not expect to perform this well, though I was a good student and expected to do well. The news came as a shock and I thank God for everything," she said amid tears of joy.

She said she wants to be an insurer, her dream career.

She was at the pulpit doing what she loves — preaching- when her colleague informed her she was the top girl.

At her home in Nairobi’s Dandora estate, there were tears of joy when news filtered in that she was the best girl nationally.

When The Standard visited the humble home, relatives and neighbours had gathered to celebrate. Not even the nearby huge garbage site could dampen the celebratory mood.

"This is unbelievable. Who ever thought something good would ever come out of Dandora? This is all God’s miracles," said Wambui’s mother Jemimah Wairimu amid tears.

She was visibly overwhelmed by the media attention.

"My daughter is God-fearing and she told me she wanted nothing less than A when the KCSE results are out," Wairimu said of her second born child.

She says her daughter’s secondary education was full of challenges.

"She was the top student in 2005 at Dandora Primary School and I did not know where to get her school fees when she was admitted to Moi Girls High School in Eldoret.

"I don’t have a job and I depend on washing other people’s clothes and cleaning," she said.

A Christian NGO, Starfish Africa, sponsored Wambui’s secondary education.

She said her daughter has also inspired her. "My daughter has been an inspiration to me. She once told me she would one day get me out of Dandora in her car," she said.

— Reports by Ally Jamah, Luciane Limo and Munene Kamau