Those who rest on their laurels are unlikely to top the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, and the stories of the elite in the 2025 class underline this reality.
Long hours of study, close cooperation with teachers and parents, and sheer determination were common threads among candidates who posted mean grades of A. For some, strong performances in the 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations fuelled a determination not to lower the bar they had already set.
Ashley Kerubo Momanyi.
Photo credit: Pool
That group includes Bruce Mackenzie Magata and Ashley Kerubo Momanyi, who scored 428 and 427 marks respectively out of a possible 500 in KCPE. Both later earned straight As in KCSE—Bruce at Alliance High School and Ashley at Kenya High School—cementing their place among the country’s top performers.
Bruce Mackenzie Magata.
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Early mornings and late nights defined the routines of many of the 2025 crème de la crème. Emmanuel Mwachofi, from Taita Taveta County, who studied at Maranda High School, scored a mean grade of A, having posted 410 marks in KCPE to emerge the top candidate in Wundanyi sub-county.
“To remain at the top requires consistency. I wanted to prove to myself that if I could do it in KCPE, I could do it again in KCSE,” Emmanuel said, crediting Maranda’s academic environment and motivational talks by professionals, including dentists, lawyers and engineers.
He described the school’s discipline as rigorous, noting that their day often began at 4am and stretched to 11pm. “A school can make a student,” he said, adding that mentality and environment were just as important as raw ability.
“I have friends who did not perform well in KCPE but excelled in KCSE. It depends on the student and the environment,” Emmanuel said. He credited Principal Dr Edwin Namachanja as a key mentor and cited Engineer Clifford Nyamache of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) as his role model.
“My mother has been my pillar of strength. She taught me to put God first and to believe in myself even when I felt like I was failing,” he added. Emmanuel hopes to pursue mechatronics engineering at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
His mother, Fauster Makalanga, who is unemployed and battling health challenges, said she was immensely proud of her lastborn son. “He is humble, caring and disciplined. Even in primary school, his friends told me how he would help them by sharing his knowledge,” she said, noting that his education was sponsored by the IEK.
Another high achiever was Said Omar of Qubaa Muslim School in Mombasa, who scored a mean grade of A. He said he aspires to become a neurosurgeon and hopes to study at the University of Nairobi or abroad.
Said Omar who scored A plain of 83 points at Qubaa Muslim School , Mombasa.
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Said admitted he did not expect such a strong performance, citing physics as particularly challenging. He identified his long daily commute from Kisauni to the school in town as the greatest hurdle he faced.
“The pain of waking up early and going to study when everyone else was asleep has finally yielded good fruits,” said Said, who scored 398 marks in KCPE.
Asya Ahmad who scored A- minus in the just released 2025 KCSE examinations.
Asya Ahmad Aboud of Abu Hureria Academy in Mombasa scored an A- after four years of early mornings and late evenings, often waking up at 5am to arrive at school by 6.15am and returning home as late as 8pm.
“It has been a struggle, but the effort has finally paid off. I have not let down my parents, who had high hopes for me,” she said. Asya hopes to pursue medicine at the University of Nairobi and credits her success to the unwavering support of her parents, teachers and sister.
Denis Karuri Kairu, who scored a mean grade of A at Anestar Boys High School in Lanet, Nakuru County, said he often slept at 1am and woke up at 3am to revise.
“One strategy I used was teaching my colleagues the concepts I had learnt, which helped me understand them better,” he said, adding that he sometimes wrote notes throughout the night. Denis hopes to pursue medicine abroad and is exploring scholarship opportunities.
At Kirindine Day Secondary School in Meru County, Derrick Muthomi earned an A- after scoring 296 marks in KCPE. He attributed his improvement to close collaboration with teachers and fellow students, alongside revision during odd hours.
Abdurrahman Mohamed Allausy.
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Abdurrahman Mohamed Allausy of Memon High School in Mombasa also scored a mean grade of A. He described the examinations as fair but challenging and credited his success to discipline, prayer, teamwork and thorough preparation by teachers. He said he was still weighing career options in aviation, shipping and engineering.
Yvonne Mona of Mama Ngina Girls High School in Mombasa, who scored an A.
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Yvonne Mona of Mama Ngina Girls High School in Mombasa, who scored an A after posting 396 marks in KCPE, said the KCSE results were her proudest academic achievement. She hopes to pursue medicine at the University of Nairobi.
Keith Kahiha Kibira of Nakuru High School also scored an A, describing fatigue from early mornings and late-night revision as his biggest challenge. “Discipline, consistency and support from teachers helped me push through,” he said. He plans to study medicine at the University of Nairobi.
Doxton Wesonga Ouma, who scored an A of 84 points at Maranda High School, said his success was the result of hard work, regular consultations with teachers and trusting the process. He hopes to pursue medicine at the University of Nairobi, with a special interest in cancer treatment.
Doxton Wesonga Ouma who scored A plain of 84 in 2025 KCSE.
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Four years ago, Doxton scored 417 marks in KCPE, ranking among the top candidates in Kisumu County and nationally. He credited Maranda’s teachers and initiatives such as Club 84, whose members shared revision materials and held discussions both physically and virtually, including during school holidays.
Barrack Ondicho, a top student at Kapsabet Boys High School who scored an A plain with 84 points, says nothing comes easy.
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In Nyamira County’s Kitutu Masaba Constituency, Barrack Ondicho and his family were over the moon after the Kapsabet Boys alumnus scored an A. Barrack hopes to pursue medicine, engineering, law or computer science abroad.
“It takes hard work, prayer, discipline and humility,” he said.
Reporting by Winnie Atieno, Brian Ocharo, Mercy Koskei, Joseph Openda, Angeline Ochieng, Ruth Mbula and David Muchui
