One of Mombasa County’s top 2018 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam candidates has emerged among the top performers in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
Ummu-Kulthum Ahmed Abdulmajid scored an A of 83 points. In the 2018 examination, the Aga Khan Primary School pupil scored 419 out of a possible 500 marks.
On Friday, Ummu-Kulthum, who was accompanied by her grandfather to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary and Technical School in Mombasa, said she was excited by her performance.
"I expected good results because I have been working hard to achieve them. Chemistry was the hardest subject for me in the final examinations," she said.
According to her, the timing of the syllabus coverage was a challenge, forcing her to study extra hard, a fact she says contributed greatly to her excellent performance.
Her grandfather Mohamed Rashid could not hide his joy when he accompanied the granddaughter to school.
Ummu Kulthum Ahmed of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Secondary School celebrates after scoring A (plain) of 83 points in KCSE 2022.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"She has been staying with me since her parents are in Nairobi. She has made the family proud," said Mr Rashid of her grandchild who aspires to be a doctor.
"Ummu-Kulthum has been the top student in the school since she joined Form One. She is disciplined, I wish her all the best in her future endeavours" said Mr Mohammed.
In this year's KCSE, 217 students sat the examination at the school.
Seven candidates scored straight As, 24 A minus, 45 (B+), 62(B), 50(B-), 22(C+) with a mean score of 9.0.
According to the School Deputy Principal Sheikh Rishard Rajab, boys performed better compared to girls.
"I am a proud teacher today. I taught her mother back in 1998, she is an alumnus of the school. She scored B plus. Her daughter has also made the school proud," said Ms Ismail.
And Deborah Nyabonyi Nyangaresi who had repeated Form Four scored a B plain, an improvement from the D- she got in 2020.
“I did not want to continue, I had asked my parents to open a salon for me. However, I got back to class,” said Deborah, who was a candidate at Bishop Mugendi Mesabakwa Secondary in Kisii County.
Deborah who is on holiday in Mombasa said she aspires to be a nurse. Her favourite subject was Biology.
Her parents who are in Nairobi could not hide their joy when they spoke to Nation on phone saying that their daughter had done them proud.
Her father Julius Nyangaresi said he was worried in the morning when he was informed that KCSE results would be released by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
“When she did not perform well two years ago, I was really disturbed but now I have every other reason to smile,” he said.
