A candidate who had registered to appear for the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) was forced to skip the exam after she became blind seven days before the exam which began on Monday, March 7.
Speaking to the media, on Tuesday, March 8, Stella, a student at Kisole Primary School in Mwingi, Kitui County, described how a headache prevented her from writing her final exams.
However, during the days of the exam, the migraine abruptly subsided, but because of its loss- she had lost her sight.
“I had a severe headache for a very long time. However, my headache stopped and only then I lost my eyesight.”
Her mother took her to Mwingi Level Four Hospital for diagnosis. After review and several tests, doctors established that she had a brain tumor. Doctors at the hospital have referred her to Kenyatta National Hospital, where she is expected to undergo a medical procedure.
The learner whose future now hangs in balance is requesting the government and well wishers to step in and help her leg in the medical bill that is likely to arise during her operation. His widowed mother was financially disabled and had no other source of income.
“When I go to KNH, the doctors will put me under the knife and remove the growth. I am requesting the government to step in and help me pay the bill,” said the KCPE candidate.
Notably, an official of Mwingi Level 4 Hospital told the media that apart from the learner, two other candidates from the constituency were taken ill and were admitted to the facility for mediocrity. As a result students miss out on the national exam which is crucial in their transition to secondary school.
“The problem we have at Mwingi Central is that we have three candidates who are admitted to Mwingi, Level 4 Hospital,” the official said.
Elsewhere across the country, 46 students who have registered for KCPE 2021 have not reported at their respective examination centre. The pupils could not be traced, according to Embu County Education Director James Kairu.
He said some of the missing students were from families who were evicted from a disputed land owned by the Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA).
“It is true that some candidates did not sit for the national examination because they could not get through. We unsuccessfully searched for them. I think the candidates were shifted to an undisclosed location after their families became unstable during the evictions,” he told a local media station.
