This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, Lafey Boarding Primary School in Mandera County, Kenya, made headlines for producing four top candidates in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, despite being located in an area prone to terror attacks by Al-Shabaab.
Out of 97 candidates who sat for the exams, the school's top pupil, Kalid Keir Yussuf, scored an impressive 407 marks out of 500, making him the top performer in Mandera County.
Other top candidates included Abdirizak Siyad Adan (404 marks), Burhan Maalim Khalif (400 marks), and Deni Kashif Mohamud (390 marks).
According to Mr. Abdirahim Tawane, the school's deputy headteacher, the good performance was attributed to the pupils' discipline and the cooperation of parents, despite the challenges the school faced, including a teachers' shortage.
