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Coast’s academic giants, led by Sheikh Khalifa and Shimo La Tewa Boys registered exemplary results in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) released yesterday.
Celebrations rocked several schools across the Coast with national secondary schools roaring back after years of mixed KCSE results, as private schools maintained their prowess.
In Mombasa, Shimo La Tewa Boys, recorded improved performance despite documented challenges of dilapidated infrastructure compared to other national schools in the country.
Shimo La Tewa’s mean score of 8.23 reflects a strong overall performance, indicating that the majority of students performed well. With a total of 413 students, the school saw a notable number of top performers, including 10 students who achieved straight A grades and 23 students who scored A minus.
“This collective effort”, said the school’s Principal Mathew Mutiso, “was key to turning the school’s fortunes around and achieving such impressive results.”
At Mama Ngina Girls National School, the top student scored an A in all the subjects, breaking the records in the school. Mama Ngina Girls Principal Mwanahamisi Omar said that for the first time in her career, she managed to witness a student score As in all the subjects.
“I have been a principal for the past 26 years, but I have never registered an A of 84 points. Yvonne Mona has scored an A of 84 points, and she has As in all the subjects,” said Omar.
The second student from Mama Ngina, Halima Faud, scored an A of 82 points. The 18-year-old said that she wants to pursue cardiology at Harvard University to find a cure for her sick mother.
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary School had the best showing this year with a total number of 17 students scoring Plain A. Another 50 scored A-, with the last 14 scoring a grade of C plus.
The school’s top students, Naima Adan Mohammed and Aisha Muthoni Haneef, garnered 84 points. They had a total of 212 students.
“We have never posted such results since the era of the former Cabinet Secretary, Dr Fred Matiang’i. We clustered the students in every subject as per their ability, and the teachers knew how to deal with each student individually,” said Rajab.
Private schools equally posted positive results, with Lights Academy posting a mean score of 8.53, with the top student scoring an A-. Students, staff, and parents gathered in the school quadrangle to celebrate the students’ excellent KCSE results.
At The Light Academy Mombasa, the atmosphere was filled with songs of victory, reflecting the collective happiness of the school community. The school recorded a mean score of 8.53.
It has three students who achieved A minus grades and eight with B pluses. Notably, the last five students scored a plain C, out of a total of 66 candidates who sat for the exam.
Light Academy Principal, Mr Tamer Ozmen, attributed the outstanding performance to the strong cooperation among students, teachers, and parents.
“We had the students working very hard around the clock, with teachers always available to assist,” he said, highlighting the collective effort that contributed to the students’ achievement.
Other schools that performed well included Abu Hureira Academy and Memon Academy.
In Kilifi County, Mambrui Private Secondary School in Magarini Constituency, Kilifi County, recorded excellent performance, with the top student scoring an A plain (81 points) while the second-best candidate attained an A minus (77 points).
Speaking while celebrating the results, the school principal, Ms Halima Omar, attributed the success to teamwork, commitment, and discipline within the school.
“These results are a product of strong cooperation between our teachers, the school board, and disciplined students. When everyone plays their role, success becomes inevitable,” said Ms Halima.
Ms Halima further appealed to both the county and national governments to support students who perform well academically.
“We urge the county and national governments to come in and sponsor students from humble backgrounds so that their dreams of higher education are not cut short,” she said.
The school’s Head of Academics, Mr Peter Manoti, revealed that Mambrui Secondary School had a total of 83 candidates who sat for the KCSE examination.
“So far, we have received results for 20 students out of the 83 candidates. The best student scored a plain A with 81 points for the first time, while the second-best scored an A minus with 77 points,” said Mumo.
“Some of our sponsored students have gone on to achieve First Class Honours at Egerton University, and others have secured scholarships to study in the United Kingdom,” Mumo noted.
Khaula Abukakar Salim, who scored an A plain, expressed joy and gratitude for her achievement.
“I thank God for this success. It would not have been possible without the support of my teachers, the school board, and encouragement from my fellow students,” said Khaula.
In Kwale County, Kwale Boys roared back to life after it posted good results after five candidates scored a plain A, 38 A minuses, 86 B+, 131 Bs, 98 B minuses, 45 C+, nine Cs and one C-.
Kwale Principal Martin Mutua said the school had a mean score of 9.3. "We are happy because the university transition is 97.57," said Mr Mutua.
In Taita Taveta, Kenyatta High School Mwatate attained a mean score of 8.5 when it had seven As and 41 A- and a university transition of 321 out of the 359 candidates.
Principal Dominic Maingi said the school achieved a transition of 90 per cent and attributed the performance to hard work among students and teachers.
“The students performed better despite a strike before the exams, and we are happy with the results,” he said. Most principals in Taita Taveta were yesterday still struggling to download results.
“The KNEC portal has broken down, and it has become difficult for us to access KCSE results for our 436 candidates on time,” noted Dr Aggrey Aggrey Boys National School principal Robert Aran yesterday. Bura Girls High School principal Ms Eunice Wambua said they are still struggling with the systems to access the results. The school had 320 candidates.
“We are seeing several As and Bs for the little candidates we have downloaded. Give us some time, and we will give you comprehensive results later,” stated the principal.
Canon Kituri Secondary School Principal William Mwandigha disclosed that the first student got an A minus, adding they are still downloading and compiling the results.
Murray Girls Principal Debora Okwatsa also asked for more time to get results. “We have a total of 380 candidates, and we are downloading them one by one. Call me at 3 pm, and I will be able to give you the results,” the principal told The Standard yesterday.
By Ishaq Jumbe, Willis Oketch, Renson Mnyamwezi, Joackim Bwana and Marion Kithi
