Noel was Kasidi Primary School’s top student. He was the class’ Chairperson, alongside his friend Happy, who was his Deputy Chairperson. He attended the school for eight years and graduated in 2020 with a KCPE result of 422 out of 500. This is an incredibly impressive score; indeed, the top score in the country was 440. The highest score in Kilifi County (where Kasidi is situated) was 431. Nearly all of the twelve students who scored higher than Noel were pupils at private schools. Noel should therefore be immensely proud of his achievement!
“The Mwezi Foundation came at a very crucial time. The solar lights allowed me to study during the night and early in the morning. It is the Mwezi Foundation that enabled me to get 422 marks out of 500 in the KCPE exam. It is a pleasure to read for as long as I want without spending a dime on fuel.” – Noel
Noel is the youngest of five siblings. His mother is a nursery school teacher, whilst his father is an elderly man who does not receive a pension. He is always surrounded by his family, as his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins live in the neighbouring houses. Noel told the Mwezi Foundation that, “Although we do not have much, we are happy with the little that comes our way. We are a very happy family.”
Noel and his family live in a village called Kariaka, which is very small and overcrowded. Noel told Mwezi that it was the poverty of his village that inspired him to work hard at school.
“For the eight years I have been at Kasidi Primary School, I have been motivated to succeed just by observing our lives in the village. Life is hard, the land is unproductive due to climate change, hunger and famine are now a mainstay in our lives; that is enough to force me to seek solace in my studies. My parents and teachers have always been by my side inspiring me to do my very best in all my studies.” – Noel
Noel’s success has earned him a place at Alliance High School, which is affectionately known as “Bush” by its students. This is a prestigious national senior school for boys in Kiambu County, Kenya. In 2020, Alliance came fourth in the whole of Kenya for secondary school exam results – which are known as KCSE exams (the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education).
Every year, over 98% of Alliance High School’s students achieve places at Kenyan universities, and some of their alumni have gone on to study at universities around the world, such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford. They also offer a vast range of sports, clubs and societies. Thousands of students apply to the school every year.
Alliance High School will also be attended by the top scorer in the country. In fact, nine out of the forty primary school pupils who achieved 432 in their KCPE have accepted a place at Alliance.
We know that Noel will thrive at the high school. After senior school, Noel hopes to study Aerospace Engineering. We wish him all the best!
