Baraka Kahugu

16 years old, attending Peponi School, Nairobi, Kenya. Baraka was awarded a Beacon Scholarship in June 2022.

Baraka is a committed student, attaining the highest grades across all his subjects in his IGCSE mock exams. He was awarded the Headmaster’s Excellence Prize for 9 out of 10 academic subjects. A mature and focused student, his results are a testament to his hard work and positive approach.

Baraka enjoys a range of co-curricular activities. He plays for the U19 school football and basketball teams, attends the gym and has now also joined a basketball academy. He is a talented violinist and a senior member of the school orchestra and string ensemble. He led the combined orchestra during Peponi’s joint concert and also led the string quartet in the annual Young Musician’s Competition, achieving 4th place overall.

Baraka is actively involved in school life. He was voted onto the school council as Praeposter (Prefect) in the Charity Ministry, allowing him to co-ordinate several successful charity events. He was selected to attend the annual EAMUN Conference and was awarded the prestigious ‘Best Delegate’ Award. He is happy to support struggling classmates with revision and had a very successful summer internship.

An advocate of the Faraja Cancer Support Trust, Baraka has created a social media profile to spread awareness about childhood cancer. He helped mobilise students and raise money for the trust through a sponsored walk. As Praeposter, he encouraged his peers to donate items and visit a children’s home and is working to raise money to buy sports equipment for underprivileged schools.

Beacon Workshop Participation

An insightful and clear thinker, Baraka shows maturity in Workshops and offers valuable feedback to his peers.

Beacon Summer Citizenship Project

Baraka’s 2025 Beacon Summer Citizenship Project focused on spreading awareness of childhood cancer. Baraka is a cofounder of The Rafiki Cancer Project @therafiki_project which aims to raise funds, and provide awareness and support for children battling cancer.