2022 KCSE: Little-known schools outshine North Rift academic giants

 Ossen Girls High School

Education Principal Secretary Dr. Julius Jwan monitoring of KCSE exam at Ossen Girls High School in Baringo County on March 15, 2022.
 

Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Ossen High School managed a mean score of 9.2 to send all candidates to the university.
  • For a seventh year in a row, secondary schools in Turkana County have failed to produce straight A in the KCSE exam.

Little-known schools in North Rift region posted impressive results in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam as the region’s academic giants failed to impress.

When schools like St Anthony, Kapsabet Boys and Moi High School Kabarak maintained their good performance to emerge among the best nationally, the drop by some academic giants has left many parents disappointed. 

In Baringo, Sacho High School, Kabarnet High School, Tenges and Kapropita Girls were beaten by little-known schools.

Baringo High School managed a mean grade of 8.32. The school had 250 candidates. Fourteen students scored a mean grade of A and A-. Garang Kuol from Baringo High School scored a mean grade of A to emerge among the top candidates. 

"I didn't expect the results, I expected to get good results. I want to thank my teachers for guiding me," said Kuol, who hopes to get a scholarship and pursue mechanical engineering at the University of Nairobi.

Although Kabarnet High School’s mean score improved to 7.799 from 7.65 in 2021 KCSE results, it had only five students scoring A and A-. The school had a mean score of 9.068 in the 2015 KCSE results.

Schools like Ossen and Ruth Kiptui shone in the 2022 KCSE exams. Ossen High School managed a mean score of 9.2 to send all candidates to the university.

Ruth Kiptui Girls High School Kasok secured 8.87 to emerge among the top schools in the county. The school had 280 candidates (58 B+, 146 B, 72 B- and 2 C+)-thus two students will miss out on university slots. 

Other schools like Tabagon High School had a mean score of 8.4, while Sacho High School managed 8.23 up from 7.4 last year. 

For a seventh year in a row, secondary schools in Turkana County have failed to produce straight A in the KCSE examination.

Turkana Girls High School and Lodwar Boys High School which are classified as national schools are the giant schools that locals are still looking up to for the top grade.

In the 2022 KCSE results, Katilu Boys Secondary School in Turkana South Sub County with an entry of 193 candidates emerged top in the county.

The school managed a mean score of 7.5855. Two candidates had A-, eight had B+, 22 B, 72 B-, 56 C+, 31 C and two C-. The two top candidates were Noordin Ramadhan Musyoki with an A- of 76 points and Eyanae Kelvin Ekitela with an A- of 75 points.

Lodwar Boys High School had three A- (minus), nine B+, 22 B, 26 B-, 40 C+, 44 C, 22 C-, 11 D+ and four D. It had a mean score of 6.8453 (C+).

Turkana Girls High School with an entry of 163, had two candidates with A-, seven B+, 22 B, 26B-, 24C+, 46C, 24C-, 10D+, one D and one X. The school had a mean score of 6.821 (C+).

Residents have expressed their frustrations over repeated poor results that are being posted by top schools in the county.

They said the last A plain of 82 points was scored by Samuel Nakata of Lodwar Boys High School in 2015.

Mr Emmanuel Ekuwom, a resident, said that the national schools were performing poorly.

"This is not the Lodwar Boys we used to know, something must be done. Even the school management usually delays to make the results public," Mr Ekuwom said

In West Pokot County, Kapenguria School failed to produce straight A student.

The school with a mean score of 7.8333 had 8 candidates with a mean score of A-,35 B+, 64 B, 74 B-,59 C+, 38C,17C- and 3 D+.

Chewoyet Boys had a mean score of 8.3 where the best candidate Kipkorir Kenan got an A plain, 27 A-,47 B+,57 B, 50 B-,46 C+,34 C,10 C-, 2 D+.

“Hard work pays and there is room for improvement,” said the school’s Principal Mr Kiminisi Barasa.

In Elgeyo Marakwet County, public schools outshone their private counterparts in the 2022 KCSE exam.  

St Patricks High Iten, Metkei Girls and Moi Girls Kapsowar maintained their dominance in the exams. Maria Soti School, which is owned by the late former Cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott topped in the private category.

St Patricks High School improved from a mean grade of 8.01 in 2021 to 8.369 in 2022 exams.

The school’s Chief Principal Peter Rotich attributed the good results to focus, hard work and teamwork by stakeholders.

 “The conducive environment and spiritual support by chaplaincy and discipline also made a big difference for the positive results,” said Mr Rotich.

The school had four A, 41 (A-), 81 (B+), 96 (B) 88 (B-) among other grades.

Reports by Barnabas Bii, Sammy Lutta, Oscar Kakai and Fred Kibor.