• A 68-year-old woman has defiled age and braced herself for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Examinations starting this morning, she hails from Makueni County in Kenya. 

    Ms. Veronica Kaleso is a self schooled dairy farmer and will be sitting with the millions of kids and few adults across the country who will be writing their mathematics, English language and composition papers during the examination with the hope of getting into secondary school.

    Ms. Kaleso was at the Unoa Primary School center for her examination yesterday for the last examination rehearsal where she and other prospective candidates where shown how to use electronic/optical mark reader sheets. 

    According to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the optical sheets were introduced in order "to curb cases of candidates who have problems shading their index number correctly and those who inadvertently shade the lozenge (ellipse) for absent yet they did the examinations."

    Speaking after the rehearsals at Unoa primary school, a delighted Ms. Kaleso said:

    “Sitting for this examination marks an important milestone in a journey I began many decades ago.”

    She is a mother of 10 and grandmother of 24, and said she hopes to not only pass the examinations but proceed to secondary school so she would not have to go through agents while making applications or transactions in government offices.

    Sadly, Ms. Kaleso dropped out of school in Standard Five at Kyamuthei Primary School in 1969 due to lack of fees, but she had remained determined to further her education, at least to secondary level.

    A total of 1,060,703 candidates will sit for the examination.

    Also, government authorities have announced that four prisoners will sit for the examination as well.

    We wish Ms. Kaleso and everyone sitting for the examinations today success with flying colours.

    PHOTO: Pius Maundu (Nation Media Group)