One similarity between Chantell Minayo in Kajiado and Ethan Kipchirchir Sirma in Kericho is that they are both computer whizz kids. Another is that they posted impressive results in the inaugural Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) examinations.
Chantell had 64 points while Ethan hit 72, the highest possible score.
Chantell doesn’t need much introduction to Kenyans. In 2015, when she was four, she featured in a viral video where she was able to name the incumbent governors off-head and list the members of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet.
NTV was among the stations that featured Chantell, who was in a Baby Class at a community school in Nairobi’s Umoja estate.
On Friday, the Nation caught up with her at Bright Light Preparatory School Kitengela where she sat KJSEA. Now aged 14, her confidence and alertness make her stand out among her peers.
Out of the eight girls and four boys who sat KJSEA at the school, she emerged second with 64 points. This translates to a mean score of 7.1 or Exceeding Expectation 2 (EE2).
“My focus is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) pathway to achieve my aspirations to become an engineer. I’m eyeing a national high school, preferably Kenya High or State House Girls,” said a jovial Chantell.
At 14, Chantell has proved to be tech-savvy, both in school and in the neighbourhood, after she took on online studies in web design and was awarded a certificate as a junior web developer.
She told the Nation she is currently hunting for a “remote” online job. Meanwhile, she has been helping her fellow learners in computer classes and is credited with developing websites for organisations in her local community.
“I’m able to grasp IT concepts (quickly). I am also IT adventurous...that has helped me to learn a lot, especially in web development,” she added.
Her mother Linnet Liabule told the Nation that she discovered her daughter’s talents at a tender age. However, her daughter’s education journey has been bumpy due to lack of school fees, and she has been relying on well-wishers. At Bright Light Preparatory school, she was under a partial scholarship from the school management for the last five years.
Chantell Minayo and her mother Linet Liabule.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
“My daughter is talented and focused. I strive in my small ways to help her achieve her dreams. She is a go-getter,” said the mother of three.
Ethan, the student president
In the case of Ethan, he has been a source of celebrations at Fountain Schools in Kericho County, where he was the students’ president.
In the 2025 KJSEA exams, he scored eight points in all the learning areas.
“Out of the 59 candidates at the school, Ethan scored 72 points, setting a record in all the examinable subjects,” said Mr Michael Macharia, the headteacher.
Ethan said he wants to join Alliance High school, which was his first choice for Senior School.
“I never imagined that I would get 72 points in the KJSEA exams. Though I was prepared, I did not know I would emerge the top student in my class,” Ethan told the Nation.
“I'm focused on performing well so that I can pursue a degree in engineering, majoring in electrical and electronics so that I can start a business and be self-employed in the end.”
“I interacted with coding when I was in Class Four, having been introduced to it by my father. Later, I got support from an ICT expert who has held my hand in this field. I will pursue it to the highest level possible,” Ethan said.
