At the beginning of the year, following a conversation with his mother, he agreed to stay off his phone for the entire year… the phone was a reward from the government for ranking top 10 in the 2020 KCPE national exams
Of the 1,693 plain ‘As’ in the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results released on January 9, one of them was posted by a boy determined to become a pilot from a very young age.
Tamzeen Barasa, 17, from Mang’u High School, had ‘A’ of 83 points. This, coupled with the fact that he scored 427 marks out of the possible 500 in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams of 2020, makes all conditions right for take-off into his dream career.
How did the dream start? At just seven years, Tamzeen flew on a plane for the first time, and this left an indelible mark on him.
After landing at Eldoret International Airport, he asked his mother, Terry Warui, to request a photo with the pilot in the cockpit. The pilot and his crew obliged. With that, his passion for aviation was ignited.
With support from his mother, Tamzeen has over the years been preparing for his future, including site visits to Wilson Airport to get a closer look at aircrafts.
“Seeing the planes up close has really helped me understand them better,” he explains.
“My journey to success began as early as Standard Six, with my mum guiding and preparing me for greatness. In 2020, after scoring 427 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations at Little Wonder School in Kasarani, I joined Mang’u High School, a prestigious national school that allowed me to pursue my dream of aviation,” he adds.
Determined to nurture his dream, his mother made a deliberate choice to enrol him at Mang’u, the only public school offering aviation as a subject.
“I specifically wanted to study aviation. It’s my dream,” says Tamzeen.
His mother says: “Choosing Mang’u High School was non-negotiable. It was our top choice because of its aviation subject. It was either Mang’u or nothing.”
At Mang’u, aviation is taught as a subject from Form One, and students have access to an aviation lab and even a plane for practical studies.
“The lessons focus on the engineering side—welding, woodworking, aircraft drawings, and electrical circuits—but my passion has always been flying. From my first day in Form One, I began preparing diligently for the KCSE exams,” says Tamzeen.
“I stayed focused, constantly reviewing my notes and textbooks until I was fully confident,” he says. Despite moments of discouragement, Tamzeen’s faith and perseverance kept him going.
“I prayed constantly, and I believe that’s why I’ve been rewarded with these results,” adds the firstborn in a family of three.
“When I heard the news that Tamzeen had scored an A, I was overjoyed. I was driving at the time and had to pull over to take it all in,” she says, “As a parent, I value more than just academic excellence. I believe in shaping a child mentally and emotionally too. While I wasn’t expecting the A, I knew he wouldn’t score below an A-, based on his performance in past challenging exams. I’m incredibly proud of him.”
Tamzeen Barasa, then aged 7, takes a photo with a Fly540 pilot on arrival at the Eldoret International Airport.
Photo credit: Pool
“I want to become a jet fighter pilot someday,” he shares, inspired by air fighters like the B-2 Spirit and A-10 Warthog,” he says, “They fly higher and faster than civil planes, and I’d love to experience that.”
While he hasn’t settled on a specific flying school, Tamzeen is eyeing Canada or South Africa for their affordability when compared to similar institutions locally. Also, they have their unique flying conditions.
“Canada’s … storms offer great hands-on flying experience,” he notes.
Aware of the high costs of aviation training, Tamzeen is exploring scholarships and considering the military as a pathway to his goal.
“Joining the military could strategically position me for military aviation,” he says. His love for sports, having served as a games captain, also ties into his disciplined mindset.
For Tamzeen, the price for ‘A’ went beyond discipline and hard work to ditching the smartphone.
“At the beginning of the year, we had an important conversation. We agreed he would stay off his phone for the entire year, and I’m proud of his discipline to stick with it. It wasn’t easy for him—he didn’t like it—but he understood the impact it had on his focus,” his mother says.
Tamzeen had received the phone as a reward from the former government for his remarkable achievement in the 2020 KCPE, where he ranked among the top 10 nationally.
However, his mother noticed the late nights he spent online were taking a toll on his daytime concentration.
“As a parent, I knew we needed to make a change. Sometimes, you have to prioritise long-term goals over short-term comforts,” she explains.
She advises fellow parents to step in and address any distractions like phones if they are pulling their children away from their academic goals.
“It’s not just about taking away something—it’s about guiding them towards discipline and focus, which are essential for success.”
The same way you structure a business or career, Ms Warui reminds parents, it is essential to be just as strategic with parenting.
“This is an approach I’ve used not only with Tamzeen, but also with his siblings,” she adds.
“From Grade Six, I encourage my children to join boarding school so they can learn independence and avoid distractions like TV or the comfort of home.”
She goes on: “For Tamzeen, this journey started when he joined Naivasha Boys Boarding Primary School in Grade Six. It was a tough decision for me as a parent, but it taught him invaluable life skills like doing his laundry and keeping his room clean and organised. He didn’t let me down. His room is always neat! From there, he moved to Little Wonder School in Kasarani for Standard Eight, and we kept our focus on the race toward success.
“I urge other parents to structure their child’s academic life as intentionally as they structure their own lives,” she urges.
Strategic parenting requires careful planning and foresight, and for Ms Warui, spacing her children has been part of this strategy.
Tamzeen’s younger sister, now 10, just joined boarding school in Grade Six, while the youngest is only one.
This spacing allows her to focus fully on each child at different milestones, providing them with undivided attention when they need it most.
“I ensure that one child is at home at any given time, so I can focus on nurturing their strengths and supporting their growth. For example, my 10-year-old loves animals and dreams of becoming a veterinary surgeon. I’ve already started encouraging this passion by exposing her to experiences that align with her interests,” says Ms Warui.
A busy businesswoman running a branding and signage company in the bustling Nairobi’s Kirinyaga Road, Ms Warui is often in the field, but she always creates time for her children, she says.
“Parenting is about being strategic and guiding your children toward their potential. I prioritise them over everything, even work,” she says, “Having grown up without parents, I’m intentional about creating lasting memories and being present for milestones like KCSE results day.”
This structured approach, she says, has also allowed her to bond deeply with her children and become their best friend.
“I’ve learnt to understand their unique temperaments. Tamzeen, for example, is calm, patient, composed, and incredibly obedient. I thank God for his character, which has been shaped by both home and church, particularly the character formation programmes at Nairobi Chapel Ngong Road, where I’ve raised him,” says the mother.
For Ms Warui, parenting goes beyond academics. “It’s about nurturing a child emotionally and mentally, while also helping them stay on track with their ambitions. It’s a delicate balance, but it’s worth every effort.”
“With determination, hard work, faith in God, and a bit of support from your parents, you can achieve anything,” he says.
