[Image]The best 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidate in Murang'a County now aims to top the county’s politics and become governor in 2042.Sharon Wairimu, 14, who joined Alliance Girls High School after sitting her exams at St Emmanuel Primary, emerged the second-best female candidate in the county and ranked third nationally."It starts with joining my dream school, Alliance Girls ... I will proceed to keep my eye on the goal of qualifying to join the University of Nairobi to study law, and after graduating, I will seek leadership in my home county," she said.RELATEDTop performing North Rift schools report 100 percent Form One admissionsCounties 14 hours agoStudent gets more than she hoped for from KoomeGender 14 hours agoGrowing up in her village, she said, she has seen firsthand the ‘nightmare’ that is the life of rural women.“My KCPE score and the accompanying fame is by the grace of God … It is a win for my fellow women, especially those I have watched in the few years of my life struggle to make an impact, make a living and bring up their children, my mother Ms Serah Watiri included,” she said.Her KCPE success was celebrated in her Kairitu village in Kigumo sub-county, with Central Regional Director of Education Milton Nzioka, Senator Irungu Kang’ata, nominated MCA Lilian Kabaya, who volunteered as her career path guardian, and educationist Joe Nyutu attending the celebrations.“My win is a true acknowledgement of the many women I have grown up seeing carrying huge tea harvesting baskets, coffee sacks, heavy loads of firewood, water containers and grass for livestock on their backs ... with babies straddled on their busts and rushing home in the evening to get busy preparing meals for the family after milking the cows ... sadness,” she said.She said she had seen cases of domestic violence where women were battered by their husbands as society watched, saw news on TV of women murdered and the culprits never arrested, and heard of women discriminated against in employment and market stall allocations.She says alcoholism and drug abuse have devastated the society and a leader is needed who can address these challenges.“But the society, especially where I come from, need only exercise patience for I have set about a journey that will culminate in my coming back home and contesting the governor’s seat in 2042 — five general elections away — and at the age of 35, I will come to work for the deliberate emancipation of our people and free them from that donkey’s life,” she said.She said her focus now shifts to the four years ahead of her in secondary school. She hopes to join university and become a family psychologist and lawyer specialising in women’s issues.She challenged Dr Kang’ata to help eradicate alcoholism in Murang’a County, saying “reckless imbibing and use of narcotics remain a tragedy in the county where gender violence is the order of the day and family heads abdicate their duties and leave women to struggle alone with the upkeep burden”.To Mr Nzioka, she said he should ensure there is equality in access to education.“I have done well because my parents struggled and put me in a quality school. If I had attended the ordinary schools around, perhaps I would not have featured anywhere in the list of top performers,” she said. Mr Nzioka said “this girl in her smart organisation of thought has presented us with a grave challenge that must be addressed … I hereby commit myself to doing what is in my power, using all at my disposal, to ensure that academic standards improve in this region.”He said factors in schools that hinder pupils from reaching their full potential will be eradicated. He said political leaders would “partner more with security agents, clergy, parents and other stakeholders to fight alcoholism among teachers”.Some school heads, he said, “manipulate policy to sneak in illegal levies, hence financially torturing humble parents” and he will fight make sure all children stay in school.Dr Kang’ata said he felt challenged by the girl. “That is the raw truth that should be spoken to power,” he said. “She has pricked my ego and soul and I commit myself to be a better leader who will work to achieve the projections of her mind.”He added: “When uncorrupted minds speak to us as leaders in such structured manner, we have got to be very much afraid as leaders and ask ourselves whether indeed we even knew what ails our society in the first place.” BY DAILY NATION
posted by Breaking Kenya news at 06:40 on 23 Jun 2022
"Murang'a top KCPE girl joins Alliance Girls, pitches 2042 bid for governor"
No comments yet. -