When Dickson Sitei registered as a KCPE exam candidate at Mogotio Little Friends Academy he knew it was time for serious revision.
This was until sometime in September, when he was involved in an accident that almost killed his ambitions.
He was in the fields herding animals during the second term holiday when he got pricked right in the left eye.
After simple first aid he went back to school for the third term.
Teachers, however, discovered he was struggling to see as his eyes remained red and teary. They sought treatment at the Mogotio sub-county hospital before he was referred to an eye specialist in Nakuru.
And while he was still recovering, the exams came calling.
He confidently sat the papers and was able to beat the odds to register top performance.
He scored 412 marks and was third at the school. Gloria Chemutai and Valentine Chemutai scored 425 and 418 respectively.
“I want to thank God and my teachers for helping me achieve these results. It was not easy but I am glad I performed well,” said Sitei.
The teenager wants to join Kapsabet Boys high school and pursue electrical engineering in future.
He attributed his good performance to hard work and discipline.
His teacher, Mr Davis Kuto, described him as a bright and well-mannered pupil who rarely got into trouble with the teachers.
The school had a mean score of 393.02 marks, with 31 candidates scoring 400 marks and above. BY DAILY NATION