He sat with his mother in a lone two-seater old sofa set in their two-roomed dilapidated mud-walled house, as they shielded themselves from the afternoon’s scorching gaze.
The roof that had been covered with an old torn plastic paper was almost caving in, with a solar powered lantern dangling on it.
The tiny run down structure is housing more than nine children but for Elkana Lokwang,19, from Kamelilo village on the outskirts of Eldama Ravine sub-County, coming from a humble background did not deter him from excelling in the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Examination (KCSE).
In an area where several factors make education a hard sell, including backward cultures, with more children condemned to shepherding livestock than going to school, Elkana scored an impressive A- minus at the Kamelilo day Secondary School in the same sub-county, emerging the best student in a class of 164 learners.
In the results released two weeks ago, the second student came distant scoring a B plain, three others got a B- minus, C+ (11), C plain (16), C- minus (18), D+ (35) D plain (59) and D- minus (20).
His impressive grade adds to two others earned by his elder brothers, Antony (A-) and Dominic (B+).
Elkana's two brothers were unable to continue their studies at university –despite their excellent grades—because their family simply could not afford it.
The 19-year-old now fears that despite his hard work and good grades, he could face the same fate.
For him, like his brothers before him, doing well was no small feat - not just because getting an A is a big achievement, but because of how much he had to endure and overcome.
“I did my best and worked very hard to get that grade, despite the myriad of challenges at home and walking two kilometers every day to school,” he told the Nation as he indicated that the results were what he was expecting, having prepared himself adequately.
A sixth born in a family of nine, he said that their growing up has been full of challenges, ranging from not only struggling to get education but also basic necessities such as food and clothing.
Their woes started when their father, Joseph Lokwang, who was a primary school teacher and a bread winner, died 15 years ago in a road accident along the Lodwar- Kakuma road, leaving them under the care of their mother who was just a mere housewife.
“Things took a drastic turn for us when our father, who was a breadwinner died in a road carnage in 2010. At the time, we were living at Kakuma, where he was working as a teacher. Two of my elder siblings were in secondary school at the time and all the responsibilities fell on my mother who was jobless,” said Elkana.
A year later when life became hard for them to cope, they relocated to the village of Kamelilo in Eldama Ravine, hundreds of kilometers away.
“My elder brother at the time had scored an A- minus in the national examination and had secured an admission at the Kenyatta University. Though he was being sponsored by the government in his education, my mother at home could not manage to raise funds for his upkeep in Nairobi and he ended up dropping out of school after two semesters. My mother at the time, relied on menial jobs for us to get what to eat, let alone catering for our learning,” he noted.
Elkana was enrolled at the neighbouring Kamelilo Primary, approximately a kilometer away and in 2020, he sat his Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination, scoring 315 marks out of a possible 500.
At the time, his mother, Esther Kadoot, had secured an employment as a casual labourer at a flower farm in the locality, but her meagre pay was not enough to cater for their myriad of needs.
“I secured an admission at Bartolimo Boys Secondary School in Baringo North in 2021 but due to poverty, my single mother could not raise the school fees and she talked me into accepting to forego the boarding school and instead go to Kamelilo Day Secondary School for my form one, which I obliged because I was aware of her struggles of raising us,” said Elkana.
“Going to a little known day school instead of the boarding institution I had been admitted to did not dampen my spirit of working hard and achieving my dreams of becoming a doctor, knowing very well that learning could be the only way to end the challenges we normally faced at home, ranging from lacking basic necessities including food and clothing,” he explained.
“Our house is not connected to electricity and I used to use a candle light to read. Some years later, my mother managed to purchase a solar-powered lantern but she regularly needed some money to pay as a token to enable it work, meaning that we could go without light for some days until she got the funds. When I was in form four, I could go to my friend’s house to read because they had the resources, and my hard work finally paid off and I managed to get an A- minus in the national examination last year,” he added.
Due to lack of fees, he said, he was also in and out of school regularly.
Despite achieving what he was targeting, Elkana said there is a new challenge facing him and his family: There is no money to cater for his schooling at the university.
“I normally emerged the best student in my class, right from form one all the way to form four, and getting an A- minus in the KCSE exam was no surprise to me. I really want to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor and help my younger siblings, but I fear this dream might be curtailed due to lack of money. My mother, whom we depend on for virtually everything, is a mere casual labourer who gets a meagre pay,” he said.
“I am appealing to anyone to come to my aid because I fear that my exemplary achievement may just be on paper. We struggle to get even a single meal, let alone school fees. Three of my siblings are in secondary school and getting funds for my university education will be an uphill task,” added the distraught teen.
Some 14 years ago, Antony Lokwang, his elder brother was in his position.
He joined Kenyatta University to study accounting, but dropped out due to lack of funds and pursued menial jobs to support his mother.
“I am now in Eldoret, still pursuing my dream of becoming an accountant. The money I make is not enough to support my siblings and also pay for a self-sponsored programme,” Antony told Nation. Africa on phone.
Domnic, their second-born brother, after tarmacking for years, dropped his university degree dreams, and instead joined a nursing school and relies on well-wishers to remain in school.
Ms Kadoot, Elkana’s mother says even though she was elated that his third born son excelled in last year’s examination despite the challenges, she is worried about getting the funds to enable him proceed for university.
“When my husband passed on in 2010, he left me with a lot of responsibilities. I have nine children to provide for, ranging from food, clothing and their education as well. Life for me has been so difficult to an extent that my second born son, who had scored an A- minus dropped out of university a decade ago because I could not manage to raise money for his upkeep.
"I fear the same fate would face Elkanah if he will not get assistance, despite working hard under very difficult conditions. I am appealing for help to enable him achieve his dream. I have three children in secondary school and I am at cross roads” said Ms Kadoot.
