TOP KCSE PERFORMERS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW

8-4-4 elite (part 1)

This post is special. By now I haven’t got a title for it.  First, because this is my first post using Ms Office 2010 professional. Yawa! Got a cracked full version from my strath pal. But that’s just a by the way. What makes its special is the content, the starring characters in this piece and their greatness. Not a drop, a whole bottle of it. But more special to me is how it will inspire you.

I hinted to you that this post is inspired by Keriako Tobiko. Yeah that’s right, the guy Kenyans want to roast so that he won’t prosecute them later. His peers have also been stripped nude in the eyes of the public. This is a compliment in fact because what they have undergone has no expression (that studded guy being asked if he was gay by a woman was a deep insult. Even gays are not asked if they are gay. The question is, Are you straight? Period). Let’s leave that for another day.

As you may not know, Keriako Tobiko was the top performer in the National Examinations in 1985. Thanks to Hon. Mwakwere for this info by the way. From there he rose to hold one of the highest office in the country, THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR. Now he is waiting to be confirmed as the first person to hold the office of THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTION. I don’t know what is the difference but Kenyans ordered change and this is what we were served. Keriako’s achievements brings me to my question, Where do all this top achievers who bring joy to their school and community in late February and early March go to and what are they now? I did my own research and here is the few I got from google and linkedin. Thanks also to kenya47 and Kenayproffesionals. GREATNESS.

Dr. naeem samnakay (1989) - alliance high school

He did what none has ever done, to my knowledge. He came top in KCPE when it pioneered in 1985 and went on to be top of the Elite when the first KCSE result was announced in 1989. He proved that none was greater than him in the new 8-4-4. He went on to study medicine Harvard under a scholarship and is currently a subiaco pediatric surgeon and urologist in Australia. He has won the prestigious “Sir Edwards Hughes Memorial Clinical Research Prize in Surgery in the year 2004. Not much of him is found on the web, considering his profession. His classmate was Mugo Kibati who was also among the Elite performers of KCSE 1989 and he went on to study electrical engineering in Moi University and later a leadership program in MIT. Now he is the Director General of Kenya Vision 2030 Secretariat.

Shahir Salyani (1989)-alliance high school

He was also the best in pioneer KCSE but Dr. Samnakay stole the thunder from him. He received a full scholarship from MIT to study Electrical Engineering and proceeded to earn an MBA from the prestigious MIT Sloan School of management. His thirst for education earned him another MBA from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of business. He first worked as a growth strategist at Milliken Inc USA before being appointed the director corporate development at Kinetic Concepts Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He is currently the senior director, corporate development at the same company.

Also worth a Google are Dennis Ouma who completed his undergraduate through PhD under 8 years and John Gachora Mburu recommended his principal Mr. Khaemba to be acknowledged by MIT for the distinguished teachers awards not forgetting Kigen Kandie who owns a company known as Mobile Planet Limited in Puerto Rico.

FRED WERE (1990)-STAREHE BOYS CENTRE

As a result of his performance he got a full scholarship to study medicine in Harvard University. He is currently a Medical researcher in the US. That’s all I found about him. But his peers who appeared in VOK that year are also worth a Google. They are Waiyaki Buliro who studied in Northeastern University in the US and is now a Business analyst at Amica Mutual Insurance in Boston, Peter Orondo who studied in MIT and now owns a computer and network security consultant company in Boston called Acclaim Consulting Group Inc. and Chris Macharia who is the Configuration Manager at Fidelity information Services, Houston.

Humphrey wattanga (1991) alliance high school

Briefly studied medicine in University of Nairobi after his O levels but was unfortunately cut short due to frequent strikes as politicians used students to champion their fight for multiparty democracy. But a blessing in disguise he proceeded to Harvard on a full scholarship to pursue Health Science. He then moved to Wharton school of business where he got his MBA. He was the first recipient of Hope Unity Award Scholarship on May 8 in the year 2000. . He is currently a managing Partner, Extra Dimension Consulting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Worth a Google is Samuel Chasia who owns Bushfire Capital Management in New York

Gilbert tengetta (1992) MANG’U HIGH SCHOOL

Not much is known of him apart the university which he went to which is University of South California and his profession, an engineer and researcher.

Kaniaru wacieni (1993) alliance high school

He got his undergraduate in Harvard, an honors degree in Economics and later an MBA in the Harvard School of Business. He is now an investment banker at CS First Boston in Massachusetts, USA. Somebody told me he has ever worked in Wall Street but I could not clarify it. He has a blog www.capitalisable.blog132.fc2.com and has written articles for Havard University.. Ephraim Olweny is worth a Google as he was not only a top performer in 1993 but went on to top all his units in his undergraduate Biological Science degree. He practices Medicine.

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