Silence, gloom as Western region records uneven performance

Kakamega High School students participate in prayers after their school produced 11 plain As. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

It was a mixed bag of fortunes for the traditional performing giants in the Western region, as several schools registered a decline in performance in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary School (KCSE) examination results.

This came as an uneasy silence had descended on many secondary schools across the Western Region following the release of the results, sharply contrasting the celebratory mood that characterised last year’s announcement.

In a region that has, in recent years, steadily risen to national academic prominence, the release of the results was expected to trigger thanksgiving ceremonies, press briefings, and congratulatory messages from school heads. 

Instead, journalists moving across Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga counties were met with closed offices, unanswered calls and cautious administrators unwilling to speak

Unlike previous years when principals eagerly broke down grades and proudly paraded top candidates, many school heads this year either avoided the media or declined to comment altogether, citing delays in receiving official results or technical challenges with the examination system

At St Peter’s Mumias Boys High School in Kakamega County, the mood was subdued. When contacted, the deputy principal declined to disclose the school’s performance, saying the administration had yet to receive official results from the Ministry of Education.

“We are still waiting for the official results from the ministry. Once that is done, we will be in a position to communicate because at the moment we do not, have the results and we cannot risk googling the results because we can mess with the codes and create confusion,” he said.

A similar atmosphere prevailed at Kakamega High School, one of the Western Region’s flagship national schools and traditionally among the country’s top performers. 

Chief Principal Aliva Luvaso avoided direct engagement with the media, delegating the responsibility to the director of studies Musebe Wanyonyi after the institution attained a mean score of 8.1, with 11 students scoring straight As. Some 49 students also scored Grade A minuses.

Charles Simiyu emerged as the top candidate after scoring 84 points.

At Lugulu Girls in Bungoma, efforts to obtain comment from the administration were unsuccessful. Teachers at the school said the school was not ready to address the media because it had not received results.

At Friends School Kamusinga, journalists camped, hoping to capture reactions following the results release; however, teachers at the institutions avoided sharing performance details, citing system failures and delays in accessing complete results.

“They are saying there is a system issue. We are being told to wait,” said one journalist who had been stationed at Kamusinga since morning.

At Butere Girls in Kakamega, by 6pm on Friday, the School Principal, Linda Zalo, said she was held up in an indoor meeting about the ongoing Grade 10 admission, adding that they have not yet downloaded the entire results and therefore no comment.

In Busia County, the concern was more pronounced, particularly among parents. 

At Nangina Girls High School, the top candidate reportedly scored a B+.

Elsewhere in the county, Kolanya Girls National School recorded one A and 30 A- grades, while Bukhalalire Boys High School managed one A-.

The general mood across the region stood in sharp contrast to pockets of celebration witnessed in a few private institutions.

 At Fesbeth High School, students and teachers held  a modest celebration after the school’s top two candidates, Precious Juma and Collins Juma, both scored A- grades with 76 points.

Addressing students during the celebrations, school director Oliver Minishi praised the candidates for their discipline and resilience, noting that the school had improved its overall performance.

“Our mean score rose to 7.89 from 7.33 last year. This shows that consistency and focus can still yield results despite challenges,” Minishi said.

In Bungoma County, Journalists camped at Friends School, Kamusinga, the entire day without getting any results from the school management, with school Principal Paul Weloba avoiding speaking to journalists same scenario was replicated at Lugulu Girls School.

Similarly, in Vihiga, while there was low key celebrations in a number of schools, individual learners who excelled broke into song and dance.

At the heart of the celebrations was Charity Imani, a candidate from Bunyore Girls High School, who emerged among the top performers in the county after scoring a stellar Grade A (84 points). Imani achieved a rare feat of scoring straight As in all subjects.

Speaking after receiving her results, an elated Imani attributed her success to discipline, hard work, and collective support. 

“This achievement did not come easily. It required determination, consistency, and teamwork between my teachers, my parents, and myself,” she said. 

Imani revealed that her dream is to pursue a medical course at the university, noting that her strong performance has given her the confidence to aim high.

“I have always wanted to study medicine so that I can help people in my community and beyond. These results have strengthened my belief that it is possible,” she added.

Elsewhere in the county, Mudasas Academy  erupted into celebrations as students and teachers poured into the streets to mark an impressive mean grade of 9.03.

The jubilant scenes reflected the school’s strong overall performance in the national examination, scoring 3 straight A, 12 A-, and 20 B+.
The school’s headteacher, Benard Kidaya, said the results were a product of unity and shared responsibility.

“These results are a clear indication of what teamwork and collaboration between teachers and parents can achieve,” Kidaya stated. “We set clear targets, supported our learners and worked closely with parents, and today we are celebrating the fruits of that effort.”

However, not all schools were able to immediately access their results, as technical challenges affected the examination portal. 

Several major schools like Bunyonyi Girls High School and Chavakali  Boys in the county reported delays in downloading their results by the time of going to press.

At Vihiga High School, Principal Albert Masiolo said the school was still waiting to access results for its 454 candidates. 

“We are experiencing delays due to the system. We are still downloading the results, but we remain hopeful that once accessed, our performance will be encouraging,” he said.

A similar situation was reported at Nyang’ori Boys High School, where Principal Peter Lunani noted that congestion on the results website had slowed the process.

“The website is clogged, and we are still trying to access the results,” Lunani explained.

Celebrations marred secondary schools in Kakamega county after the announcement of last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos.

St Mary’s Girls High School Mumias emerged among schools that posted sterling results after recording 20 A-, 72 B+, 106 B, 112 B-, 102 C+, 46 C, 3 C- and 2 D+.

412 out 462 candidates (88.98%) who sat their KCSE in 2025 qualified for direct university entry.

The school posted a mean of 8.216 with a positive deviation of 0.033.

Last year, the school had a mean of 8.17 and send only 11 girls to university directly.

School principal Monicah Nyange said they were improving every year because teachers have been motivated and are doing their work with a lot of zeal.

“We thank God for this performance. Our Board of Management is supportive and the teachers work together. Above all, we always pray for the best every day,” said Ms Nyange.

Booker Academy managed 15 A- (minus), 21 B+, 22 B (plain), 24 B-, 14 C+, 4 C (plplain and 1 C- (minus).

The school posted a mean of 8.8317.

School principal John Mark Wandera said the school embarked on serious syllabus revisions to earn the improved performance.

“We have always been performing well in national exams. We went down in the recent years, but we thank God that we have reclaimed our glory in this region,” said Mr Wandera.

The school recorded an improved mean of 8.8317 with a deviation of 1.3367.

A total of 96 our of 101 candidates qualified for direct university entry.

Little known Eshibanze Muslim Day School recorded an A- (minus). Selfa Musita gave the school the deserved grade.

St Marthas Mwitoti Secondary School posted an improved mean of 6.5 sending 211 students to the university.

Deputy Principal James Amwayi said the results are a result of new leadership that introduced a system of regular tests and early syllabus coverage.

“We did not expect such results. We attribute the good performance to support from the Board of Management, parents and the local community,” said Mr Amwayi.

The school posted 3 A- (minus), 11 B+, 36 B, B- 57, C+ 108 to send 215 out the total 422 candidates to university.

“We thank God for lifting us up again. We are sure of reclaiming our glory,” said Mr Amwayi.

St Peter’s High School Mumias managed a single A (plain) and single A- (minus), 19 B+, 95 B (plain), 192 B- (minus), 205 C+, 85 C (plain), 18 C- (minus) and 2 D+.

The school recorded an improved mean of 7.5194 with a deviation of 0.6667 with 513 students out of 619 qualifying for direct university entry.

Musingu Boys High School posted a mean of 8.124 after scoring 2 A (plain), 17 A- (minus), 42 B+, 78 B (plain), 136 B-, 123 C+, 74 C (plain), 36 C- and 5 D+.

A total of 398 candidates qualified for direct university entry.

Report by Benard Lusigi, Mary Imenza, Jackline Inyanji and Brian Kisanji