75-year-old father of 10 sits KCSE exams in Marsabit

Gabriel Lemita Kochayo, a 75-year-old father of ten, is one of 4,126 candidates sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations this year across 51 centres in Marsabit County.

Registered as a private candidate, Gabriel, now a retired catechist, had previously worked in Sololo town under the Catholic Church.

In an exclusive interview with Citizen Digital, Gabriel said a discussion with a group of teachers led to his decision to go back to class in a bid to “catch up” with the world.

“In 1968, the Catholic Church enrolled me as a catechist and later sent me to Sololo to serve humanity until 1971,” he said.

“I am here today because of the encouragement I got from some good teachers based in Garba Tula from our neighbouring Isiolo County.”

After soul-searching, in 2018, Gabriel went to Moyale Primary School and registered as a Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) private candidate, where he sat for his exams and scored a total of 232 marks.

“After the encouragement from the Garba Tula teachers, geared up for life, I embarked on a home-studying option, and later I did my KCPE and scored 232. I was happy and ready for the next phase,” he explained.

According to Gabriel, his initial registration plan to sit for KCSE the following year was declined by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), but he kept his hopes alive and eventually cleared for this year’s exams at St. Teresa Primary School in Marsabit town.

“I am operating a small mobile phone accessories shop in Sololo town. The revenue is not enough to cater for all my bills, but some friends made contributions to help me register and prepare for the exams,’’ he asserted.

Gabriel who took Mathematics, History, Business Studies, Chemistry, Biology and the languages, said he is aiming for a C+ mean grade, adding that he will not give up on his dream to further his studies.

“Nikipata C+ and above nitajitayarisha kujisajili online kujiunga na my dream universities – either the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta, au hata Moi. English naelewa but sometimes nalemewa so natumia dictionary kufahamu. As long as akili yangu inafanya kazi sitaacha masomo,” he noted.