Anjelo Odura who scored 410 marks in the 2023 KCPE was admitted to Kabianga Boys' High School.
Dozens of people were killed and wounded when escalating conflict broke out in South Sudan.
The ugly experience left women and children as the majority of the displaced.
In search of safety, Anjelo Odura Patrick's family moved to Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana West Sub County, Turkana County, Kenya in 2016.
Here, they have built a new home in the hope that normalcy will one day return to the volatile South Sudan.
"Forging a new path, life in the camp was not a walk in the park," Anjelo recalls.
But he defied the odds to score 410 marks in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
Anjelo, 16, says he studied in Kakuma Refugee Camp but registered for the 2023 KCPE at Kamusinga AC, which is in Bungoma County, about 500 kilometres from Turkana.
The fourth of seven children, he says he used to juggle between helping his mother look after his siblings and reading revision materials borrowed from the school camp.
In Kakuma, his family depended on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for food for their daily sustenance.
In the ruins left by the war, Anjelo was raised by a single mother who lived in a state of survival.
In 2023, a teacher who initially taught in the camp helped him find a scholarship to Kamusinga AC in Bungoma.
"During holidays, I did not go home because the school supported me to get food, clothing and shelter."
At times, he would feel homesick or away from his loved ones, but he had to pray and soldier on for a better tomorrow.
As the time for the national exams approached, Anjelo was sure he would do well, as he realised he had put in all the necessary effort.
Anjelo Odura with abianga Boys' High School principal, Ezekiel Kurgat.
His dream of finishing primary school came true and after the KCPE exams he was reunited with his family.
He learnt of the good results from the same teacher who had helped him to leave the refugee camp.
The teacher also helped him download the admission letter when he realised that Anjelo had secured a place at Kabianga Boys High School in Kericho.
This prompted him to contact the teachers at Kamusinga AC, who raised about Sh3500 for the journey from Kakuma, Kenya's northwestern desert, to Kericho.
"Although I needed Sh4000, the conductor of the Nissan [sic] shuttle that plies the route not only let me on, but when he realised that I was a student, he made up the shortfall," he adds, noting that it took him a day and a half to travel from Wednesday to Thursday last week.
As this was the first time he had travelled from Turkana, he had to ask along the highway until he reached Kabianga.
The entrance to Kabianga Boys' High School. Anjelo Odura who scored 410 marks in the 2023 KCPE was admitted to the school.
It was around 3pm on Thursday when Anjelo arrived at Kabianga and asked to see the principal, Mr Ezekiel Kurgat.
According to Mr Ezekiel, Anjelo was exhausted when he arrived, armed with a letter of admission and documentation with a letter of recommendation from his former school.
"Normally, in such a case, I cannot dismiss him, I have settled him while I look for help from well-wishers, although this is the fifth case since Form Ones started reporting to the school this year," he notes.
The Nation also obtained an introductory letter written by Kamusinga AC's deputy head teacher, Ms Emma Masafu.
It reads, "Having failed to secure a scholarship for Anjelo, we are sending him to Kabianga with the hope that he will be given all the necessary support."
Ms Masafu says Anjelo comes from a very humble background, he is hardworking, disciplined and promising.
Anjelo was also accompanied by a Kakuma Refugee Camp movement pass, duly signed by Kakuma Camp Manager Edwin Chabari and his deputy Gideon Cise.
The document expires on December 12, 2024 and should be surrendered to the Refugee Camp Officer Office upon return from travel, and refugees who overstay the validity of the movement pass will be subject to sanctions in accordance with Section 8(O) of the Refugee Act 2021.
