Girls at the Coast dominated the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination top list in the results released on Saturday by Education CS George Magoha. 

In Mombasa county, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed saw 10 students score straight As, making it the best performing school at the Coast. Its best candidate, Elyas Iqra Ahmed, had grade A of 83 points. 

Among the school’s top 10 students, eight were girls. The school had 31 A-, 56B+, 62 B, 41 B-, 32C+, four C, and two C-, with a mean score of 9.1, an improvement from last year’s 9.01 from the 2020 exam.

“This is a win for parents, management and students because of our hard work, dedication and prayers. We are not boasting but we’re the region’s education giant,” said deputy principal Rishad Ramadhan.

The top student in the region, however, is Said Rajab Said who scored an A plain of 84 points from Kenyatta High School, Mwatate, in Taita Taveta County. 

He was followed closely by Munyao Mutinda and William Ndurya with 82 points, while Kizwana Mwashighadi of the same school scored an A of 81 points.

Private schools which  performed exemplary well include Light Academy in Nyali, Memon High in Mvita and Aga Khan Academy in Kizingo, Mvita sub-county.

Public schools like Kenyatta High School, Mama Ngina and Shimo la Tewa in Mombasa, as well as Kwale Boys, also dis well. Kenyatta school posted five A plain

In the 2020 KCSE, the top pupil had an A minus. In Mombasa, Mama Ngina Girls, for the first time in 12 years, posted one A plain. It also tripled the number of candidates with A-. Last year, its best candidate had an A minus. 

Memon High School’s Khulud Ahmed Buran scored A- of 78 points. She was followed by Sarah Hemed, with an A- of 76 points. At Light Academy, the top student, Natalie Mulure, had an A plain of  81 points. Teacher Maika Mohammed credited the good results to rigorous revision.

At Murray Girls High, Shierny Chengo scored a B (plus) of 69 points, while Lilian Kenga scored a B plus) of 67 points. 

The county also produced the best improved candidate in Kenya: Boniface Wambua of Njukini School in Taveta, who had a B plain — after scoring 241 marks in his KCPE exam. 

In Kwale County, public schools did better than private ones. None of the national schools had a candidate with an A plain. 

Schools that produced top students are Kwale High and Matuga Girls, both national schools. At Kwale High, the top student, Elijah Musembi Mwololo, scored an A – with 76 points. He was followed by Gogo Kitti (75), Kuna Boba (75), Joshua Tumaini (74) and Zaid Juma (74).

 Principal Michael Mutua said discipline was the key driver to success. In Kilifi, Arabuko Forest High was the most improved in the Coast region with a mean of 7.66.