Joy as school produces two top pupils
Thorn Tree School in Ongata Rongai erupted into song and dance shortly after the results for the 2013 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations were released.
It was the only school in the country that managed to have two pupils ranked among the top ten performers in the exams.
Emmanuel Mulayi Nambiro scored 442 marks to emerge third nationally while Velma Imali Ndete scored 440 to emerge ninth in the ranking that saw several pupils tie in the top ten category.
Emmanuel was second in the top ten male category while Velma was fifth in the top ten female category.
On Wednesday, parents, teachers and the locals converged at the school where they held prayers before streaming into the streets of Ongata Rongai town for the celebration.
An exhilarated Emmanuel said he knew he would perform well but did not expect Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to call his name as the third best candidate countrywide.
He said his teachers and parents played an instrumental role in ensuring that he performed that much.
“I was shocked beyond words when I heard my name, I did not expect to perform this well,” he said.
Emmanuel said he hopes to join Alliance High School to lay the foundation of becoming a civil engineer after completing his studies.
His parents were equally happy with the performance of their second born son in a family of five.
“He has performed beyond our expectations, we thank God for that, he was a dedicated pupil who had his eyes set on the prize,” Mr Festus Nambiro, Emmanuel’s father said.
Velma, 13, on her part said she did not expect to beat a tough competition to be among the best ten performers countrywide.
She said prayers and hard work were her secret in performing well.
“I want to be an architect in the near future and I hope I will join Alliance Girls’ when the selection is done,” she added.
The last born in a family of four, Velma said the only way a pupil can stand out from the rest is to work extremely hard and to know how to be a good time manager.
The head teacher, Mr Joseph Maina, said he was excited that the hard work and dedication of his pupils and teachers had come into fruition with the excellent performance.