Old giants shine while little-known schools make stunning surprise

Starehe Boys High School students carry shoulder high their former best 2024 KCSE achievers as they celebrates their best KCSE result at the School in Nairobi on January 10, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Old giants bounced back in last year's KCSE examinations, reclaiming their top positions by posting high grades in the just-released results.

The results were loaded with shocks and surprises. The unheralded Merishaw Academy in Isinya, Kajiado County, posted the highest mean score emerging top in the country.

The surprise top performer scooped a mean score of 10.57, joining the league of academic elites of Alliance High School, Kapsabet Boys, Kenya High, Starehe Boys and Strathmore School.

Notably, Starehe Boys made a major comeback, reclaiming its former prestige with a mean score of 10.1 after years of underperformance.

According to a tally by The Saturday Standard, Alliance High posted a mean score of 10.31, emerging second nationally. Kapsabet Boys scooped a mean score of 10.15, Kenya High managed 10.13 and Strathmore 10.09 to rank as the top six best schools nationally.

Some 712,000 students did not make the minimum university entry grade of C plus compared to the previous year's 694,000. This means that there is an additional 18,000 students who failed to qualify for university.

READ: 2024 KCSE stars: Hard work and discipline led to our success

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, however, said that the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) will administer examinations to candidates who missed the examination.

Ogamba said candidates wishing to repeat the examination, and those who may have missed the exam due to sickness or other unexpected hardships have a chance in July.

“Adult candidates may also consider registering for the July examination,” said the CS when he released the results at the Mitihani House on Thursday.

Students at Merishaw Academy could not hide their joy and pride in being the country's highest-performing school.

The school registered 14 subjects out of which they scored A’s in six subjects - Christian Religious Education, Agriculture, Computer Studies, Physics, History and Government and Business Studies.

It emerged that the success of the school has been building for the past two years.

School principal, David Kariuki, told The Standard that in 2022, the school only enrolled 96 students. And by 2024, the number went up to 800.

He said that the school had achieved a mean score of 10 in its first attempt.

“We set a target of 8.5 but managed to surpass it. And are looking forward to improving our performance in the years to come," he said.

The other little-known schools that exceeded expectations included Moita High School, which posted a mean score of 9.16, Riokindo Boys High School (9.62), Rockfields Senior School (9.01), Sheikh Khalifa Secondary (9.13), and Nyakongo Boys High School (9.21).

Kisima Mixed Secondary School also squeezed its way to the high table of best performers with a mean score of 9.71. 

Even as the results emerged, the celebrations were delayed in many schools asthe  Knec portal was jammed.

However, sporadic celebrations erupted from Thursday evening, spiralling into Friday as schools downloaded comprehensive results from the portal.

However, despite these rising stars, traditional academic powerhouses retained their dominance in the national exams.

Our Lady of Mt Carmel MaryHill Girls posted a stellar performance, achieving a mean score of 10.051.

Other notable schools in this category included Mangu High School (10.01), Our Lady of Mt Carmel MaryHill Girls with 10.05, Alliance Girls with 10.04 and Moi High School Kabarak with 9.89.

The good news however, was received by parents and students of Starehe Boys Centre after its resurgence, marking a major highlight of the year's results.

Kabarak High School, which had topped the 2023 KCSE examination, continued to shine with a mean score of 9.89. 

Additional top performers included Moi Girls Eldoret (9.765), Friends School Kamusinga (9.88), Pangani Girls School (9.84), Lenana School (9.06), and Nairobi School (9.22).

In Central Kenya, Murang’a High School posted an impressive 9.72, while Kagumo High School achieved 9.54, and Meru School recorded 9.34. Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls maintained a solid performance with a mean score of 9.04.

Kitui School carried the flag for Eastern Kenya, posting a mean score of 9.53.

In the Nyanza region, Maranda High School maintained its strong academic tradition with a mean score of 9.69.

Other high-performing schools in the area included Nyambaria High School in Kisii (9.11), Mbita High School (9.16), Orero High School (9.42), Oriwo Boys High School (9.10), Kanga School (9.29), and Agoro Sare High School (9.18).

ALSO READ: Faces of 2024 KCSE top performers

In Rift Valley, Kabianga High School achieved a mean score of 9.65, while Kapsabet Girls earned a score of 9.09.

Western Kenya also celebrated outstanding results, with St. Brigid’s Girls Kiminini recording a mean score of 9.72, St. Anne’s Girls Kiminini scoring 9.33, and St. Joseph’s Kitale posting 9.01. St. Anthony’s Boys High School recorded a respectable 8.95.

A total of 965,512 candidates sat for the 2024 KCSE examination across 10,755 centres nationwide.

The cohort included 480,310 male and 482,202 female students, who were required to take a minimum of seven subjects from the 30 offered by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).

While celebrations continued, some Kenyans raised concerns over delays in accessing the results. 

On Thursday, the examination council said the system was overwhelmed by the high number of requests it was receiving but promised that every candidate would receive their results. 

“The portal for checking the 2024 KCSE examination results is fully functional and candidates are receiving their results. The minor delays in receiving feedback is due to the high number of requests being sent to the portal, of up to 300,000 hits per second. We urge Kenyans to be patient and assure them that everyone will be able to access the results,” KNEC said in a tweet.