Two teenagers are sitting their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations from a hospital in Nyahururu town, Laikipia County, after they gave birth on the eve of the national examination.
Circumstances forced Juliet (not her real name) to sit for her papers at Nyahururu County Referral Hospital’s New Born Unit after she gave birth to a baby girl on Friday of last week.
The baby was, however, born larger than expected, and by virtue of this being her first birth, Juliet was forced to undergo a Caesarean delivery, to save both the live of the baby and the mother.
Following a successful delivery, Juliet was expected to leave the hospital to go take the KCSE examinations with her mates, but the doctors refused to let her leave because of her concerning health.
She pleaded with the doctors to allow her take the exams from the hospital. However, they told her that exams could only be taken at the school and that she would need to travel every day to take it at Muthengera Secondary School.
“I am in pain from giving birth, but when I asked the doctors if I could take my exams at the hospital, they said that was not possible and that I should go to the DC’s office in Nyahururu town wait for the government vehicle, board it to my exam centre because my family has no enough money to cater for my travel expenses, then return to hospital after the exams,” she told TV47.
The candidate’s mother, Mrs. Jane Wambui, has taken it upon herself to travel from home to the hospital on a daily basis, early in the morning, to help the candidate get set for the exams and ensure she is fine.
She has to part with KSh400 per day for her travel expenses, and the money has not been forthcoming for the mother, who relies mostly on casual jobs.
The parent is now appealing to the Ministry of Education and the school management to allow her daughter to sit for the exam at the hospital since she was experiencing pains on her breasts due to failure to breastfeed as it should be.
