Sudanese boy’s long road to KCPE success

By SILAH KOSKEI

Eldoret, Kenya: He topped the 2012 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in Uasin Gishu County but his achievement has been dotted with a myriad challenges, especially having fled civil war in South Sudan to Kenya as a refugee.

Chol Deng Peter, 16, a Sudanese national, lost touch with his parents since 2005, but went to school in Eldoret through the help of well-wishers and topped the exams even as he battled a skin condition.

The recent announcement of KCPE results by Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi caught him by surprise at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Nothern Kenya.

The teenager had managed a frantic escape from the ongoing civil conflict in South Sudan through an army lorry. Chol had returned to his native nation to look for his parents after sitting last year’s KCPE examination in Eldoret.

Unlike other families who celebrated with their children for their impressive performance, Chol’s parents, believed to be living in Bor, have not been traced even after their son topped in Uasin Gishu County and is expected to be enrolled in a national school after selection.

The former student of Alpha Junior Academy in Kapsoya, Eldoret spoke to The Standard after arriving from Kakuma Refugee Camp, a place where he received the good news of his exemplary performance.

“I was not expecting to attain 433 marks, it is a surprise from God that I should be a role model to other students who do not believe in success,” he says.

He adds that his head teacher broke the news to him while at Kakuma, through a phone call that turned out to be a changer of his life.

Chol narrates that his quest for education came as a miracle after abandoning his role of herding livestock in Bor and travelling to Kakuma following the fighting in South Sudan.