Festus Kipkirui Bett helplessly watched his mother, Nancy Chepkoech, endure excruciating pain for over five years as she battled cancer, which she ultimately succumbed to in 2016.
Chepkoech, a mother of four, was diagnosed with stage-four cancer and had to rely on palliative care.
The family sold their land in Bomet County to pay for her medication and special diet, as her husband, Samwell Kibet Ronoh, was a peasant farmer and casual labourer with limited means.
As a young child in upper primary at the time, Bett was perplexed and saddened by the inability of doctors to offer specialised treatment to save his mother. Her passing left a lasting impact on him.
“I was in class five at the time, but I decided then that I was going to pursue medicine and become a surgeon so I could research the causes of cancer and possible treatments,” Bett said.
The 18-year-old who scored 366 points at Kembu Primary School, remained committed to his education and last Friday scored an A (82 marks) in the just-released KCSE examinations. He was a student at Bomet’s Longisa Boys High School.
Festus Kipkirui Bett, a student who was motivated to score an A of 82 points in KCSE at Longisa Boys' High school in Bomet, by his late mother, who succumbed to cancer.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai|Nation Media Group
Witnessing cancer consume his mother and reduce her once well-built body to a skeletal frame gave him lasting motivation to excel in school and pursue medicine at university.
“Seeing my mother curled into a ball, losing her hair and appetite, unable to perform basic chores or walk broke my heart. It was equally painful for the rest of my family,” Bett said.
His father struggled to raise money through manual labour, with much of the support coming from well-wishers who understood the family’s challenges.
“I want to pursue medicine to help alleviate the suffering of the sick and the poor, to put a smile on their faces, and, where possible, restore their health or prolong their lives,” Bett said.
Even as he celebrates his stellar performance in the exams, Bett faces the next challenge: funding his university education, particularly the expensive medical course.
Festus Kippkirui Bett, a KCSE candidate who scored A of 82 points at Longisa Boys High School in Bomet County, is carried high by fellow students on January 10, 2026, after the release of exams results.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai|Nation Media Group
“I am grateful to God for the success so far and indebted to the well-wishers who supported me. I am glad I have not disappointed them, but the journey ahead remains tough and I will continue to rely on them,” he said.
Funding a medicine course, whether locally or abroad, is one of the most expensive endeavors for students from poor backgrounds, with most depending on scholarships from private institutions and the government.
Bett’s father, Mr Ronoh, expressed joy over his son’s performance, saying they hope he will change the family’s fortunes through his dream of pursuing medicine.
Longisa Boys High School Chief Principal Robinson Langat said Bett was a disciplined student who focused on his studies and was not very active in co-curricular activities.
“He set his eyes on excelling academically and has succeeded. In midterm exams, he used to average A-, but he has surpassed that in KCSE,”Mr Langat said.
