Residents of Kamae village are still cheerful after Mophat Mukinyu, 19, completed his secondary education and sat for the KCSE end-of-course exams.
Finishing high school appears to most to be a routine task. This is different in Kamae village, where students drop out long before the exams begin.
According to Gichuhi Mwai, the area chief, there has been an increase in school dropouts among male youth, and the teenager finishing his secondary school education was nothing short of a miracle.
"We are very excited because there are so many others who have dropped out of school due to various reasons, including drug abuse," Gichuhi Mwai, the area chief, said.
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The achievement was so significant that family, friends, and villagers threw a party long before the results of the recently concluded exams were released, including contributing money to fund the young scholar's education, depending on whether he is admitted to a university or a technical institute.
In videos obtained by Citizen. Digital, friends, family, and neighbors were seen dancing joyfully to vernacular gospel music as they celebrated the boy's triumph.
Mukinyu's former teacher was among the partygoers, and she said it was unusual in the village to see the 'boy child' excel in school, given the slew of issues that continue to plague the youth, such as peer pressure and drug abuse.
"We are here to celebrate because that is an achievement... if you look at the people he joined Form 1 with, so many things happen, including deaths," Johnson Mwangi, a teacher, said.
Brimming with feelings, Mophat Mukinyu expressed his gratitude to the well-wishers who pooled their resources to ensure his success in school.
"Kuna wengi tuliingia nao shule lakini wakasema hawaoni umuhimu wa kusoma, wengine hata walifika tu class 8 wakawacha masomo," Mukinyu said,
He claimed he had been selling avocados in the area after failing to raise the required school fees before being rescued by well-wishers.
Similarly, Isaac Ngigi, one of the well-wishers, stated that the party showed the boy child the importance of education, hoping that the event would inspire others in the village to pursue an education.
