Relief for Wajir’s top KCSE girl as MP to sponsor her varsity education

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Wajir’s 2025 KCSE top girl, Hafsa Sharif, who made history by becoming the first girl in the region to score an A plain of 81 points, can finally afford a smile. This is after Eldas MP Adan Keynan stepped in to sponsor her university education through his Adan Keynan Foundation (AKF).

For days, the former student of Furqan Integrated Secondary School in Wajir East carried a quiet heaviness that sharply contrasted her remarkable achievement.

When The Star first spoke to her moments after the results were released, she sounded subdued and withdrawn.

Scoring a A plain, a feat that should have been crowned with celebration and cheer, was instead not the case.

The uncertainty of what lay ahead weighed heavily on her, robbing the moment of its joy. With no clear path to university and no assurance of financial support, her triumph felt incomplete, almost fragile.

That cloud was lifted on Saturday. After the Eldas MP read her story in The Star newspaper, he reached out with a promise to support her university education.

The change was instant and unmistakable. The once low-spirited girl could not hide her joy.

Speaking to The Star on phone, a visibly excited Hafsa, who disclosed that the MP had personally called her, said the reality of her achievement and the support she has received was yet to fully sink in.

“I am still overwhelmed. The news has not yet sunk in. It sounds like I am dreaming. I lack words,” she said.

Hafsa, who comes from a humble background, revealed that despite her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, financial constraints had earlier forced her to lower her ambitions.

“While I was still in school, I had settled on pursuing a teaching course because I knew it was more manageable in terms of school fees compared to medicine, which has always been my dream course. I knew medicine was quite expensive, and that worried me a lot,” she said.

Her dreams were reignited after Eldas MP Adan Keynan, through his Adan Keynan Foundation (AKF), promised to sponsor her university education, enabling her to pursue Medicine and Surgery.

“I lack words to thank Mheshimiwa Keynan and the media, especially The Star newspaper, for coming through for me at my hour of need. All I can say is a big thank you. I promise to reward him by working hard in my studies, actualising my dreams, and then coming back to give back to society,” she said.

She also paid special tribute to the media for highlighting her story, which drew the attention of the legislator.

“I want to especially thank the media, specifically The Star newspaper, which highlighted my story and arrested Mheshimiwa’s attention. God bless you so much,” she added.

MP Keynan, through a Facebook post on his page, said Hafsa’s remarkable achievement is a powerful reflection of exceptional hard work, discipline, resilience and unwavering determination.

“In recognition of her outstanding academic excellence and commitment to motivate our girls to thrive in academic disciplines, and in keeping with our long-standing tradition of rewarding excellence, the Adan Keynan Foundation (TAKF) commits to award her with a full scholarship and sponsor her entire university education as an opportunity to help our girl chase her dreams in the medical profession,” Keynan said.

“Just as we proudly extended similar support to Ismail Ahmed, the best student in Wajir County who also attained an A plain, we remain consistent and deliberate in our resolve to invest in merit, talent and distinction,” he added.

“This outstanding achievement, attained by a young girl from a region where girl-child education still faces structural and socio-cultural challenges, deserves to be celebrated and rewarded. It stands as a compelling source of motivation to girls still in school, affirming that hard work truly pays and that their dreams are both valid and achievable,” Keynan added.

Hafsa further thanked her parents and family for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout her academic journey, noting that their belief in her played a key role in pushing her to excel.