Tears as Boy Varnishes after Getting Wind Of His Family's Plan For His Future Despite Passing KJSEA

A family in Kerugoya is in distress after 14-year-old Benjamin Maingi disappeared shortly after collecting his Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results. 

The boy has not been seen since a tense discussion about which secondary school he would attend.

Benjamin, a student at Kaitheri Primary School, went to collect his exam results last Tuesday. 

Teachers confirmed he received the results safely, but he never returned home. His mother, Rachel Syombua, said the family has been searching for him tirelessly.

“He left home to collect his results around 2 PM. He arrived at school, got his results, but never came back. We have no idea where he went after that,” she said.

Family members revealed that Benjamin wanted to join a secondary school that matched his academic ambitions. However, his parents could not afford the high tuition fees at that institution. 

They had suggested an alternative school that fit their budget, a decision that appears to have upset Benjamin.

Benjamin’s aunt, Cecily Wawira, said the family did not expect him to disappear over the choice of school. 

“He really wanted to go to Mbaricho, but his parents said we would take him to Kianyaga. We never thought he would run away. If we had known, we would have handled it differently,” she explained.

The family has searched nearby areas and reached out to friends, teachers, and neighbors but have found no trace of him. Rachel described the emotional toll, saying, 

“I can’t eat or sleep because we don’t know where he is. We are very worried and just want him to come home safely.”

As the new school term approaches, the family is appealing to anyone with information about Benjamin’s whereabouts to help bring him home. 

“Wherever he is, please let him come back. We love him, and no one will ask him questions. We just want him safe,” Wawira added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education recently rejected over 67,000 placement appeals for Grade 10 students ahead of the 2025 transition. 

Officials said the requests did not meet criteria such as school capacity, subject availability, and regional balance.