The 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results were announced two weeks ago.

At a village school in Manda Airport, Lamu county, eternal joy is now being felt, despite the ambers of the fanfare that followed the event slowly dying off in Nairobi and other notable areas.

This comes after their son received the first-ever Grade (B-) in the history of six-year-old Manda Airport Secondary School.

The villagers claim this is a lovely miracle they hope will be repeated in the upcoming years.

John Simon, 18, rose to fame in his village after receiving a B-grade in last year's exams.

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Simon's tale demonstrates tenacity and willpower.


A perilous journey through dense forests with all the associated risks, starting from the Manda jetty.

After overcoming difficult obstacles, Simon, a Form One student in 2020, became the top student in the school's second KCSE cohort.

Three of the twenty-five students taking the KCSE exams in 2023 will attend college.

And so, Simon has become a village hero – attracting accolades from local leaders.

Stanley Muthama, the member of parliament for Lamu West, commended the young man for his outstanding performance in a press release.


He called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to send more teachers to the school and promised to see that the unfinished infrastructure projects at the school were completed.

"The boy has done well and has set a precedent for his peers despite facing many challenges," said the Manda Airport Secondary School James Kimemia.

On the other hand, Kimemia recognized his students' practical difficulties and asked the relevant authorities to make the institution more easily accessible.

In addition to being a tale of personal triumph, Simon's accomplishments catalyze change in Lamu's educational system and are a source of inspiration.

While Manda Airport Secondary School commemorates this academic achievement, attention is drawn to the broader implications for educational infrastructure and the ability of Kenya's rural schools to succeed despite adversity.