There was song and dance at Naivasha Prison after an inmate serving a life sentence scored 374 marks in the KCPE exam.
Francis Kariko, 25, said it was not easy preparing for the exam and relying on fellow inmates to teach him.
The second-best candidate was Stephen Kipkoech with 355, followed by Geoffrey Bosire with 351 and Kennedy Omdoni with 336 marks.
Prison welfare officer Mose Kodek termed the results the best the inmates could achieve given the challenges they faced.
“Despite lacking learning materials, trained teachers and sitting in congested classes, the inmates have proven they can compete with the other students,” he said.
And for the fourth year running, private schools continued to dominate in the exams in Naivasha.
High Peak Junior Academy and Little Friends Academy produced the top students. Ivy Nyambura from High Peak was the top student in Naivasha with 443 marks.
The school had the highest mean score in the town at 400.86 with 64 students recording over 400 marks, while the students with the lowest marks had 330.
“This marks the greatest day in my life and I attribute the good results to hard work, prayers and support from my parents and teachers,” she said.
At the nearby Little Friends School, the top student Grace Waithera scored 441 marks while 39 candidates garnered more than 400 marks. The school got a mean score of 378 marks.
In public schools, Naivasha Boarding School shone after 44 students out of the 245 candidates scored more than 400 marks. The school got a mean score of 356.56 marks.
The school, which years back was among the top in the country, had a reason to celebrate after Kennedy Ruto emerged among the top students in Naivasha with 432 marks.
And at DEB Primary School, David Muyongo scored 424 marks.