Gladwell Jerop, 18, beat all the odds to become the best-performing 2022 candidate in the entire County of Nandi.

She scored an A of 83 points despite schooling under very difficult circumstances.

Jerop’s father is mentally challenged while her mother works in one of the tea estates.

On Thursday, Jerop’s mother Lydia Seroney could not hide her joy.

“She worked hard despite the challenges,” Seroney told the Star on the phone.

Seroney said her daughter whose index number was 29513101283 scored a mean grade of A with 83 points.

Jerop scored an A in English, A in Kiswahili, A in Math, A in Biology, A Minus in Physics, B plus in Chemistry, A in Geography and A in Christian Religious Education.

She studied at Kapsabet Girls.

Seroney said Jerop had also done well in her primary studies despite all the difficulties she encountered along the way.

“She did very well in primary after attaining 411 marks in 2018,” Seroney said.

Seroney said Jerop had been enrolled in Chepterit Girls- a national school after performing well in the primary.

However, She did not manage to join the school due to a lack of school fees.

She was however enrolled in Kapsabet Girls, which is an extra county school.

This did not however dampen Jerop’s spirits.

Aware that she did not have any penny, Seroney made an appeal to the school management in order for Jerop to be admitted as she sought the much-needed fees.

“After some time, a well-wisher came on board and paid the fees,” Seroney said.

Seroney said the well-wisher managed to clear Jerop's school fees.

She said she has another student in form four at Moi Girls Eldoret.

Jeptoo on her part acknowledged that she worked hard in school despite challenges back home.

She knew that the situation will change one step at a time.

"I now want to join the University of Nairobi and pursue a medicine course because of my father's problem," Jerop said on phone.

Jeptoo said she will also use her University education to help other members of the community with similar challenges.

She said they tried applying for various bursaries in vain.

On January 20, Education CS Ezekiel Machogu released the 2022 KCSE examination results.

Machogu said the 2022 results have improved compared with the 2021 results.

The CS said 1,146 candidates attained a mean grade of A in the 2022 KCSE. 

Machogu said 271 female students and 875 male students attained a mean grade of A.

Only 173, 345 out of the 881, 416 students who sat the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams will get direct qualification for university admission.

Further, there were no irregularities.