Exams champions in joyous mood as schools improve

Across several schools in the country, a celebratory mood took centre stage as the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE) results were released, with top achievers being feted in various ways.

At the Moi High School Mbiruri, in Embu County, it was jubilation after 23 students scored plain ‘A’s, the highest number in the school’s history. The school’s Chief Principal, Patrick Nderitu, could hardly contain his joy as he shared the remarkable achievement with teachers and students.

“This is a milestone we have never achieved before,” Nderitu remarked, attributing the success to the relentless hard work and cooperation among students, teachers, and parents.

Out of the 380 candidates, 23 scored A plain, 44 notched A-minus, 50 earned B+, while 78 received B plain. There were 64 attained B-minus and 52 with C+. Most of the candidates, 311 students, secured direct entry to various universities across the country.

At Mary Hill Girls’ school, students celebrated a remarkable performance. The institution had a mean score of 10.0511, an improvement from 2023 KCSE results when the school had posted a mean score of 9.4423. Out of 587 students, 80 candidates managed to score straight ‘A’s, 181 had A-minus, 139 had B+, 111 had B plains while 37 had B-minus. Thirty-two others managed to score C+.

Seventeen-year-old Natalie Gichuki is among the students who posted stellar results, with an A of 83 points. Speaking during the celebrations, she attributed her performance to hard work and support from her teachers and parents. Gichuki looks forward to pursuing Software engineering in university.

“We are delighted by the stellar performance of our students and we have high hopes that the 2025 class will even post better results. We’ve achieved this through strong collaborations by all stakeholders,” the school principal Grace Macharia said.

Maryhill Girls, a national school in Thika sub-county, Kiambu, is among the top schools that posted high scores. Others are Mang’u High, St Francis Girls and Thika High.

Best class

At Bunyore Girls in Vihiga county 10 candidates scooped an ‘A’ plain with Ruth Bonareri Ondiek leading the pack after she scored straight ‘A’s of 84 points emerging the best candidate in Western region.

The school Chief Principal Judith Agade praised the Class of 2024 saying they have done the best.

At Merishaw School, Isinya, Kajiado county jubilation was audible after it attained mean score of A-minus with seven candidates attained scoring ‘A’s.

Echoes of jubilant celebration filled the usually serene Shanzu area as Shimo la Tewa high school reclaimed its position among Kenya’s top academic performers.

Provisional results showed that the national school produced two ‘A’s (81 points) and 19 A-minus.

One of the top achievers, 19-year-old Fauz Jamal Kanji, expressed his joy and gratitude.

“I feel happy for the results and thank God for this. My dream is to become a doctor and help my family. Mathematics was my favourite subject,” he said.

The school’s principal, Mathew Mutiso, credited the impressive results to discipline, unity, and teamwork among staff and students.

“For seven years, we’ve had no cases of unrest. These results are the fruits of discipline and hard work. We thank the Almighty God for His blessings,” Mutiso said. Nearby, Mama Ngina Girls School also posted commendable results, with six A-minus and several B-plus grades. Principal Mwanahamisi Omar noted that delays on the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) portal made it difficult to get a complete picture of the school’s overall performance.

At Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nayan School, another academic powerhouse in Mombasa, the results were equally impressive. The school recorded three ‘A’s plains and 10 A-minus among its 213 candidates.

Farouk Ali Juma, one of the top scorers with an ‘A’ of 82 points, said the outcome was unexpected but welcome.

“I was not expecting such results, but I thank God. I hope to pursue medicine at the University of Nairobi,” said the Kombani native from Kwale County.

Light Academy in Nyali also celebrated notable achievements, with one ‘A’ and three A-minus. Top scorer Hamid Ali Mohamed, 18, attained an impressive 84 points.

“I am grateful to Allah for the grades. My dream is to pursue engineering abroad,” Mohamed said.

Nationally, 962,512 candidates sat for the 2024 KCSE examinations, an increase from 899,453 candidates who sat for the exams in 2023.

(Report by Brian Malila, Christine Musa, Enock Amukhale, Mathew Ndung’u and Reuben Mwambingu)