President William Ruto's government feted a 16-year-old girl who saved over 140 students from a gun-wielding gang.
Sylvia Cheptowot was recognised as a national hero during the Mashujaa Day celebrations on Thursday, October 20, for her bravery.
She was among the youngest heroes recognised by Ruto, who appealed to Kenyans to continue excelling in different sectors.
Cheptowot was among the students from Tot High School who were ambushed by bandits on February 17.
The armed men sprayed the bus with bullets leaving the driver dead.
After launching the first attack, the gun-toting bandits entered the bus with the mission of shooting dead the students who had survived.
However, Cheptowot overhead their conversation and shouted in her local dialect, which convinced the attackers to fold their mission.
"I opened my mouth and spoke in Pokot dialect, screamed and told them we were students from Tot High School. I pleaded with them not to kill us,'" she recalled.
"My fellow students were injured. I was shot on both feet, and one of my legs was broken," she added.
The bandits also spared two other buses which were part of the convoy on that fateful day.
While delivering his speech, Ruto also honoured John Ochieng, a carpenter based in Rongai who rose to become a homeowner.
"When I handed over keys to homeowners under the affordable housing scheme, I met Ochieng, a carpenter who had been working on that project when it began.
"Then, home ownership to him was a mere dream but two years down the line, he owns an apartment in the estate he helped to build as a carpenter," Ruto lauded the carpenter.
