Stephen Mathenge | NATION From left, Joyce Wairimu, Sandra Gitau and Joy Mvatie, some of the class Eight Pupils of Loreto Msongari who were involved in a road accident just months before they sat the KCPE exams this year. They talked to the Nation at the school in Nairobi on December 29, 2011.

On the evening of July 29, a group of girls were involved in an accident just months before they sat for their KCPE examinations.
The Loreto Msongari pupils in Standard Seven and Eight were on the Meru-Nanyuki highway, returning to their hostels in Nairobi’s Lavington area after a weekend trip.
Three of the pupils died, while 16 others had critical injuries.
Six of the injured pupils underwent arm amputations. One girl had her two arms amputated, while another had her eye removed.
Still, 35 of the 71 pupils who were involved in the accident were part of the 776,214 candidates who sat the 2011 KCPE exams. 
Problems faced
On Thursday, the pupils looked back at the accident, the problems they faced as they sat their exams, and the aspirations they hold after they received their results.
Three of the pupils said that they did not perform as they expected, but expressed satisfaction with the results “given the circumstances”. 
Their parents and teachers said the pupils had taken a positive attitude and performed “beyond expectations”, given the traumatic experience they had to go through during the examination period.
“Since I had to spend a month and two weeks in hospital, it was difficult catching up with the rest of the students and I had little time to revise.
“But due to the support of my family and other students, I have managed to get good marks,” Sandra Wambui, 14, told the Nation.
Sandra who had her left hand removed after the accident scored 422 marks, eight points short of what she had scored in her mock exams. Her father, John Gitau, said they were satisfied with her results given the difficulties she had to face.
“She took the loss of her hand positively and accepted her new way of life. She did not take it as a disability and she is always trying to do things for herself. So far, from how she has handled herself, I do not see her going down in performance as she moves to high school,” Mr Gitau said.
Sandra, who is preparing to join the secondary division of the school, said the amputated arm will not block her from becoming a paediatrician, she added.
Like Sandra, 13-year-old Joy Mvatie is preparing to move on to Loreto Msongari Secondary and was also happy with her performance.