When he graduated with 401 marks from Adega Primary School in Homa Bay County after sitting the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCSE), Edwin Otieno Ouko thought that was the end of his education.
With a bedridden father and poor mother, the young man could hardly raise the resources needed to join the Homa Bay High School where he had been granted a chance to pursue his secondary education.
This threw him into depression and stress as he spent the first two months of the first term at home as his peers.
His relatives were then prompted by the situation into coming together to raise funds to facilitate his admission to secondary school.
"We realised he was missing school had started causing him a lot of stress,” his aunt Mary Ogweno told the Standard.
But by this time he could no longer join Homa Bay High School, and hence had to seek a scholarship at the Nairobi-based Light Academy as was proposed by another relative.
He was met by another hurdle, as he had not hit the minimum 430 mark threshold required by the school which accommodates bright but poor students.
However, after listening to his story and visiting his home to confirm it, the school head gave him a slot.
“We visited his home and found that the family could not raise his fees,” Light Academic Headmaster Ismael Kucuk said.
He added that the institution decided to lower the admission mark rule to accommodate the young man.
When the results were announced last Friday, Ouko was among the top performers and the third-best nationally with a performance index of 87.363.
He says that the trouble he underwent in search of education and poverty at home had made him vow to himself to give education his best.
"After the stressful moment l had gone through looking for fees, l promised to take my studies seriously.
I was going to work hard, pass and pursue my dream of studying medicine. I am happy l lived my promise," he said.
He now wants to study medicine.