How Western produced second-best candidate

Godwins Okoth Oloo of Ober Boys Boarding Primary, Oyugis. He scored 432 marks. [Courtesy]

Busia County produced the second-best candidate in this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination, as other schools in the former Nyanza and Western provinces posted impressive results.

Flavian Onyango of Chakol Girls Primary in Teso South scored 439 marks, one point shy of the score posted by the top pupil in the national exams.

Onyango tied at position two with June Jeptoo Koech of Sangalo Central and Sean Michael Ndung’u of Kitengela International School.

In Nyanza, Griffin Aarama Matundura of Elsa Academy scored 434 marks, followed by Ober Boys Boarding School’s Gordon Oloo Okoth from Homa Bay County, who scored 432 marks out of a possible 500.

It was a neck-and-neck battle for top honours between public and private schools as the KCPE results released yesterday jolted the region.

Sterling performance

Some of the region’s traditional best performers, such as Kisumu’s Xaverian and Arya Public Primary School, Golden Elites Academy, Maseno Girls Boarding and Kisii’s Elsa Academy, maintained their top positions.

While releasing the results, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha singled out Onyango and Jeptoo for posting a sterling performance from a public school.

“That public school candidates matched private school candidates is proof that our Free Primary Education Programme has come of age and that our teachers are excelling in spite of the higher enrolment. It is also evident that girls are competing favourably with boys for the top academic honours,” said Prof Magoha.

Xaverian, a top performer the past two years, produced one of the best candidates – Anthony Odhiambo, who scored 426 marks, while Maria Clara Achieng’ of Lwak Girls in Siaya County was the pride of the girl-child with 426 marks.

Mercy Ooro of Golden Elites Academy in Kisumu also pulled an impressive score of 424 marks.

Another one of the region’s top guns, Aga Khan Primary School, had 10 of its 46 candidates recording 400 marks and above, with the top performer - Hawi Akinyi - registering 419 marks.

Top candidate

In Vihiga County, Mudasa Academy had its 21 candidates score 400 marks and above, with Kevin Isaac topping the class with 420 marks. He was followed by Lewis Kipchumba (417) and Daisy Kanaiza (416).

In the same county, Alvin Ishuga and Edel Elima of Shalom Academy scored 423 and 413 marks, respectively.

Robena Sasaka topped at Mululu Primary after scoring 422 marks, followed by Euegene Obando at 420 marks. Presleigh Mwale and Stacy Albright came third each with 419 marks.

Mululu Primary also posted sterling results, with its top candidate scoring 432 marks. More than 10 others posted above 400 marks.

Also blazing the trail was Maseno Girls Boarding, a private primary school which had 10 of its 89 candidates within the 400 marks bracket, with top performer getting 418 and the lowest 299.

The school’s headteacher, Hellen Oginga, said she was impressed by the results, adding that all the candidates had qualified for either national or county schools.

“We have done well and I attribute it to teamwork from teachers, parents and the candidates,” she said.