Male candidates who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam in 2024 scooped most of the top positions in the Coast region.
An analysis of results compiled by Nation on Thursday evening also showed that most of the candidates who scored As were from public schools even though the top two were from private schools.
Hamid Ali from Light Academy and Al-Zahra Nizam Khan from Memon Academy in Mombasa led the pack with a mean Grade of A plain of 84 points.
Mwachofi Mwaghome Antony, Papai Gabriel, Ian Ziro Lewa, and Ahmed Abubakar, all from Kenyatta High in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County, scored As with 83 points.
Other students who had 83 points are Jimmy Fallon Sinoya from Dr Aggrey High School, a public school in Taita Taveta County, Said Abdulrahman from Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, a private school in Mombasa, Ndanu Hellen from Matuga Girls in Kwale and Grace Sidi Karisa from Bahari Girls in Kilifi.
Nationally, the 2024 exam broke records: highest number of qualifiers for university admission in eight years; highest number of Es in five years; and for the first time in history, more girls than boys sat the national examinations.
Teachers and students at Shimo la Tewa High School celebrate on January 9, 2024, after two of their 2024 KCSE candidates scored 'A' grades.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
A total of 246,391 students, an increase from 201,133 in 2023, scored a mean grade of C+ and above, the highest since the 2016 reforms instituted by then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Knec chairman George Magoha - who later became Cabinet secretary.
And for the first time since the first KCSE in 1989, more girls than boys sat for the national examinations this year.
Of the 962,512 candidates who sat the 2024 KCSE examination, 480,310 were male, while 482,202 were female, representing 49.90 and 50.10 per cent of the total candidature respectively. 2,660 candidates registered for but did not sit the examination.
At the same time, candidates attained enhanced performance in 17 out of the 30 subjects offered.
Back at the Coast, Shaymaa Mohamed and Khadija Lukman from Memon Academy also got 83 points.
Memon Academy High School students lift their top boy Iqbal Mohamed Jin (centre) in celebration after he scored a mean grade of A plain in the 2024 KCSE exams.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Memon Academy High’s Al-Zahra expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to her success, including her parents, teachers, and school.
“The school played a critical role in nurturing me. My parents and teachers supported me every step of the way. The exams were challenging, but I managed to excel. I thank God for this performance,” she said.
Aspiring to be a dentist, she credited her favourite subjects, Mathematics and Biology, for fueling her ambition.
On the other hand, Light Academy’s Hamid urged this year's candidates to work hard, pray and remain disciplined.
At the public schools which produced good results, celebrations were witnessed as parents, teachers and students gathered to receive the best performers.
In Kwale County, Matuga Girls High School, a national school produced the best candidate, Ndanu Hellen, with a mean grade of A with 83 points.
Chief Principal Carolyne Zawadi said they are excited and hope that overall results will be better than last year.
Kwale's 2024 KCSE giant Kwale High School missed out on an A plan with only 4 of the students scoring A - minus. Last year, the school topped the county when three candidates scored A plain.
For the first time in many years, Bahari Girls, a national school in Kilifi had a student who scored an A plain and several with A-.
The school principal of Bahari Girls High School, Ms Hamaro Sylvano said they expected better results as they continued downloading the results. By evening, the school had one A plain and 13 A-.
In Lamu County, Mpeketoni Boys High School, located in Lamu West, broke the frequent trend of the county lacking candidates with grade A- and above in national examinations.
Mpeketoni Boys High School Principal Juma Kalume termed the results as a new dawn to education in Lamu. Lamu West Education Sub-County Education Director, John Nzinga said his happiness is to see Lamu featuring among top counties in terms of education performances.
Kwale maintained a trajectory amongst counties in the Coast region having more female than male candidates. Counties that led the pack with more male than female candidates nationally are Garissa (62.83 per cent), Mandera (63.83 per cent), Wajir (60.27 per cent), and Turkana (59.64 per cent).
Reporting by Brian Ocharo, Winnie Atieno, Lucy Mkanyika, Siago Cece, Kalume Kazungu, Maureen Ongala, Jurgen Nambeka and Valentine Obara
