Mudasa Academy in Vihiga and Friends School Kamusinga of Bungoma topped in western Kenya after recording 30 As in the just released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results.
Mudasa recorded three A (plains) and 25 B+ (plus), 40 B (plain) and five B- (minus), posting a mean score of 10.4 to top the list of best performers in the region.
Kamusinga, a school with 463 candidates, posted an additional 89 A- (minus), 120 B+ (plus), 80 B (plain), 84 B- (minus) and 47 C+ (plus) to take 450 candidates directly to the university with 13 more qualifying for technical and vocational education and training colleges.
The school posted a mean grade of 9.365, having a positive deviation of 0.11191, up from a mean grade of 9.2531 in 2022.
Lugulu Girls High School in Bungoma posted a mean grade of 9.3289 with a positive deviation of 0.6659 despite recording a single A (plain) out of the 605 candidates, with 604 qualifying for direct entry to university.
The school had 64 A- (minus), 199 B+ (plus), 234 B (plain), 84 B- (minus), 22 C+ (plus) and a single C (plain).
Butula Boys in Busia came second with 16 plain As while Butere Girls was third with 13 A plains and 68 A- (minus).
Butula posted a mean grade of 9.2312, dropping -0.04 from the 9.2712 mean score of 2022.
A total of 57 candidates scored A- (minus), while 85 posted B+ (plus), 89 B (plain), 60 B- (minus) and 54 C+ (plus).
Butula Boys principal Daniel Ouma said they expected better results but thanked God for giving them a good performance.
“We are happy as a school because we expected the students to give us better results. We are happy with what they have given us to keep us maintaining our position in the western region. We hope to do our best in the coming years,” said Mr Ouma.
Butere Girls posted 13 As and 68 A- (minus). The school’s 129 candidates got B+ (plus), 184 managed B- (plain), and 125 obtained B- (minus), while 35 got C+ (plus), earning the school a mean score of 9.1703 with 554 direct university entry.
“First, we thank God for everything. Our school is a prayerful community. We always put God ahead of everything we do. Then, there is commitment and teamwork from all the stakeholders,” said Ms Omondi.
She said a mentorship programme introduced by the school alumnus lifted the girls in subjects they used to perform poorly.
Elsewhere, Nyangweso Mbaraka from the little-known Eshibanze Muslim Day School in Matungu scored a straight A as Annuar Musa posted an A- (minus) to put the school on the list of top performers within the region.
Eshibanze Muslim Day School principal Imelda Otieno said the results were due to hard work, commitment from all stakeholders, dedicated teaching staff and a supportive Board of Management and parents.
“Our school has been clustered into a family set. We hold family meetings where we talk at a family level. Regular class meetings and frequent tests have also contributed to this performance,” she said.
Chavakali Boys High School from Vihiga bounced back in style after posting an 8.185 mean score, beating other giants like Mbale Boys and Vihiga Boys.
The school posted 9 A (plain), 48 A- (minus), 92 B+ (plus), 106 B (plain) and 109 B (minus).
Bunyore Girls High School, one of the top-performing schools in the region, managed 8 A (plain), 56 A- (minus), 103 B+ (plus), 121 B (plain), 67 (B-), 34 C+ (plus) and 14 C (plain) with 3 C- (minus) to record a positive index of 9.12 mean score with a positive. A total of 403 out of 406 candidates who sat for the 2023 KCSE exams qualified for direct entry to university.
Booker Academy from Mumias improved by a positive mark of +0.3, recording a mean score of 8.4, up from 8.1 in 2022.
Booker Academy principal John Mark Wandera said six candidates scored A- (minus) in their KCSE performance.
St Peter’s Boys High School in Mumias posted one straight A (plain) with 36 A- (minus), 72 B+ (plus), 155 B (plain), 76 C+ (plus) and 12 C (plain) to manage a mean score of 8.5833 pulling a positive deviation of +0.4497 from 8.1 mean score of the previous year.
St Peter’s Boys principal Chrispinus Owino said 515 candidates out of 528 qualified for direct university entry.
Isaac Hillary Ochieng lifted Sigalame Boys after scoring an A plain, setting a fresh record for the school, which had the last A grade in 2015. Several students posted an A- (minus).
By the time of going to the press, results for other big names from Kakamega County, including Kakamega School and Musingu Boys were not yet out.
A teacher at Kakamega School said they had not finished tabulating the results hoping that they would post impressive results.
