Michael Muturi Warutere, the 14-year-old 2023 top Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam candidate with 428 marks, had only set himself a target of 410 and was pleasantly surprised that he did well, let alone topped the country.
Warutere, a candidate at Riara Springs Academy in Imara Daima, said he did not expect to score such high marks and did not believe it until he saw the results.
"I was expecting 410 at the most, but I prepared adequately and did what I could. I thank God for enabling me to get such marks. I want to join Mang'u High School and become a software engineer in the future," he said.
However, Warutere, whose index number was 004, said the most challenging paper was Science, but Kiswahili mark was the best he had ever achieved since he started school.
"I got 90 in Mathematics, 88 in English and Kiswahili, 85 in Social Studies and CRE and 75 in Science," he said.
In addition, Warutere thanked his parents for their dedication in creating an enabling environment for him to work hard and study.
While thanking God for the wonderful results, Catherine Gitonga, the mother of the top candidate, said her son was a self-motivated and hardworking student.
"He knew when to study, when to rest and even when to spend time with us as a family. He is a self-directed young man," she said.
As students who sat for this year's exams anxiously awaited their results, the Muturi family kept a close watch from the comfort of their home.
"We started receiving calls from the school management saying our son was the best student. So far we haven't downloaded the results from the portal," said Mr Samuel Muturi, Michael Warutere's father.
Riara Springs Principal John Muriithi said Warutere had maintained discipline and was an all-round student since he joined the school in kindergarten.
"He played football, swam and was a good debater and storyteller during school events," he said.
His kindergarten teacher, Irene Gichache, revealed that Warutere was a composed learner from the time he started school.
"He was very good in reading and a top performer, number 1, in kindergarten. A quiet all-rounder. We laid the foundation for him," she added.
