Sleeping giants, little-known schools shine in Western, Nyanza

Education CS Dr Julius Ogamba accompanied by PS Prof Julius Bitok during the releasing of 2025 KCSE results at AIC Chebisas Boys in Eldoret Uasin Gishu Country on December 9, 2026. [Peter Ochieng, Standard] Little-known schools and former sleeping giants in Nyanza and Western made a comeback, even as others were grappling with shock after some of their students' results were withheld. Nearly all the schools in the region registered an improvement in their overall grading. In Western, Bunyore Girls School in Vihiga County and Friends School Kamusinga once again stamped authority as the Western Region academic giant for a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). Bunyore Girls High School topped with a mean score of 9.81 compared to 9.1 in 2024 with 34 candidates scoring straight A plain grades. The school emerged as the top performer in the county. "Our girls have made us proud by posting stellar results. We look forward to even greater accomplishments this year," said the school's Principal, Judith Agade. Friends School Kamusinga posted a mean grade of 9.3 same to 2024 exams, taking position two in the region. The school recorded 16A, 79A-, 151B+, 116B, 81B-,34C+, 11C, 2C. Mudasa Academy erupted into jubilation as students and teachers poured into the streets to celebrate an impressive mean grade of 9.03, taking position three. The school recorded an outstanding performance, producing three straight A grades, 12 A- (minus) grades, and 20 B+ grades. Speaking during the celebrations, the school's headteacher, Bernard Kidaya, attributed the success to unity and shared responsibility among teachers, parents, and learners. "These results are a clear indication of what teamwork and collaboration between teachers and parents can achieve," said Kidaya. Lugulu Girls High School had a candidature of 745, 40 students scored A-, 220B+, 280 B, 135B-, 55C+,14C and 1C-. The school had a mean score of 9.012 compared to 9.3 in 2024, attributing to 97.99 per cent with 730 direct entries to university. Meanwhile, Chavakali High School, one of the region's prestigious national schools in Vihiga, also made headlines after improving its mean score from 8.2 in the 2024 examination to 8.9. Elsewhere, another notable improvement was recorded at Nyang'ori Boys High School, which posted a mean score of 8.9 from a candidature of 364 students. This marked a major leap from the 7.2 mean score recorded in 2024. Booker Academy in Kakamega recorded a mean score of 8.8, while St. Mary's Mumias Girls and Kakamega School shared a mean score of 8.2 in the 2025 K.C.S.E results. St.Mary's Mumias Girls School in Kakamega recorded a mean score of 8.2 from 8.0 in the 2024 K.C.S.E, becoming a powerhouse girls' school in Kakamega, while Kakamega School recorded a mean score of 8.2, similar to the 2024 examinations. In Nyanza, little-known Nyamira Girls' High School and Usenge High School have once again reaffirmed their status as two of the county's academic giants after posting strong performances in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. At Nyamira Girls', the results released on Friday show that the school attained a mean score of 7.23, with 74 per cent of candidates scoring C+ and above, the minimum university entry grade. A grade analysis indicates that 18 candidates scored B+, 44 attained B, and 136 got B-, while 135 candidates posted C+. Others included 86 with C, 39 with C-, eight with D+, and one with D. No candidate attained grade A or A-. The 2025 outcome marks a notable improvement from previous years. "In the 2024 KCSE, the school posted a mean grade of 6.5, up slightly from 6.4 in 2023," said Jessica Ambasa, the school's principal. Meanwhile, Usenge High School also recorded an improved performance, attaining a mean grade of 7.20 (C+), up from 7.101 (C+) in 2024, representing a positive deviation of 0.099. The school reported a 63 per cent pass rate. According to the results, eight candidates scored A-, 23 attained B+, 34 got B, and 47 posted B-. In the middle grades, 45 candidates scored C+, 42 attained C, and 28 posted C-. At the lower end, 14 candidates received D+ and eight scored D, with no candidate recording D-, E, or irregular cases. The school principal Mr Stephen Abong'o, said the performance reflects sustained learner discipline, committed teaching staff, and support from parents and education stakeholders. In Kisumu, Thurdibuoro Mixed Secondary School in Nyakach Sub-County, which registered 252 candidates for the 2025 KCSE exams, went against all odds to achieve a 98.02 percent transition to the university, with 248 of its candidates attaining grade C+ and above. Some 16 candidates from the former academic giant scored grade A - in the 2025 KCSE examination results released on Friday. According to the school's chief principal Dr. Joshua Miyawa, the good performance is attributed to a joint effort by the school's teachers, students, and parents who went out of their way to realise a mean of 9.01. "These results are the product of a joint effort. It's the outcome of what can be achieved when key players agree to work hard to achieve a shared goal, a good result. We toiled for these results, and we're very happy." Miyawa told The Standard. In Nyabondo Boys High School, Allan Fredy topped in the KCSE exams after obtaining a mean grade of A- of 75 points. Meanwhile, the results for eight students at Ambira High School was cancelled over alleged exam malpractices. The former heavyweight only attained a mean of 5.5. Report by Brian Kisanji, Benard Lusigi, Mary Imenza, James Omoro, Isaiah Gwengi and Clinton Ambujo

Sleeping giants, little-known schools shine in Western, Nyanza

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