Michael Warutere: Top KCPE candidate eyes Mang’u High School, dreams of being a software engineer

Michael, who sat his national examinations at Riara Springs Academy in Nairobi, expressed his disbelief at the news, stating that he had expected at least 410 marks. 

“I was woken up and found out that I was the highest with 428 and at first I did not believe it until I saw the results for myself. I feel ecstatic because I did not expect this to happen. Those exams were kind of tricky but in the end, God helped me and I reached the top,” Michael said.

With stellar scores including 90 per cent in Mathematics, 85 per cent in Kiswahili, 85 per cent in Social Studies and Christian Religious Education (CRE), 84 per cent in English, and 75 per cent in Science, he expressed gratitude for the guidance received, attributing his success to the support from both his school and parents.

Despite finding the Science test paper challenging, he singled out Kiswahili as the most surprising, as he had never achieved such high marks in that subject before. 

While acknowledging the challenging nature of the exams, the top candidate in the country encouraged his peers not to lose heart, emphasizing that failure in KCPE does not mark the end of the journey. 

“This is not the end of the road for those who failed this KCPE exam. Who knows, they might be the ones who will pass in the KCSE exams and if not, they can build themselves from exploring their talents,” he said.

With aspirations of becoming a Software Engineer, Michael aims to pursue his secondary education at Mang’u High School. 

Speaking to Citizen TV reporters, his father, Samuel Muturi, commended the school and teachers for their role in Michael's achievements, highlighting his son's goal-oriented nature since childhood. 

“Michael has always been a goal oriented student ever since he was young and we helped in leading him into the right direction,” said Mr Muturi.

Mr. Muturi affirmed the family's commitment to supporting Michael in his academic journey.

“We are going to continue our job as parents and see him through this next chapter of his education,” he added.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu released the results of the 1,406,557 candidates who sat their KCPE exams on Thursday.

The Education CS noted that 8,525 candidates scored over 400 marks, representing 0.60 per cent of the class. 

Additionally, 24.92 per cent of candidates fell within the 300 to 399 marks range. 

The just concluded KCPE exams marked the conclusion of the 8-4-4 education system in primary schools, bringing an end to an era in Kenyan education.