Mum died days to test, says boy who scored 405 marks
Humphrey Odour,14, of Visa Oshwal Primary School, Nairobi, celebrates after scoring 405 Marks in KCPE.
The broad smile on Humphrey Oduor’s face does not reveal the struggle he has gone through in the past one month.
His mother died after a brief illness, just two days to the commencement of the KCPE examinations.
But even her death could not stop him from overcoming all odds to score 405 marks.
"I was overwhelmed, I felt so pained by mother's death. But I knew I had to do my best and make her proud even if she had left us," the elated candidate told the Saturday Nation at their home in Uthiru.
The mother fell ill the week before the exams and was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital on a Wednesday night. She could not get admitted that night but managed to get a hospital bed the following day.
On Friday night, at around 10pm, Millicent Penty breathed her last. The father was informed of her death and kept it a secret so that the boy is not disturbed.
The hospital records showed that she died of acute pneumonia. His father, Hecky Penty, said he had never expected his wife’s little coughs would end up killing her in three days. To him, the son’s stellar performance is a testimony that God was in control.
“It is a miracle, especially with the death of his mother. My son was traumatised beyond measure. He did the exam in a fragile state of mind. Even the teachers were concerned,” he said.
