• Top candidate from region had 431 marks, is from High Vision in Kilifi, followed by Lamu’s StoneTown Academy whose top candidate scored 429 marks
• TUM vice chancellor's daughter from Nyali Primary scores 426 marks
Kilifi county produced the best candidate in Coast in the just-released KCPE results as girls clinched higher scores than boys.
Candidates from private schools topped in the region.
Rodney Isaac Kahura from High Vision, Kilifi, scored 431 marks and was followed closely by Aisha Harun Mohammed of Lamu’s StoneTown Academy who garnered 429 marks.
Mohammed, who wants to join Pangani Girls, says she wants to become a gynaecologist.
"My entire gratitude goes to my parents, teachers and fellow students. They showed cooperation and that enabled me to score the high marks," she said.
Nyali Primary’s Makena Hanifa posted 427 marks and as did High Vision’s Athuman Ali.
They were closely followed by Hafida Abdulaziz who scored 426 marks. She is the daughter of Technical University of Mombasa vice chancellor Leila Abubakar.
Busy Bee School, which had a mean score of 382, had its top student Irene Kai, 14, scoring 422 marks.
The school had 36 candidates, with at least 10 getting over 400 marks.
Qubaa Academy’s Salim Abeid, 16, scored 420 marks with over five other candidates getting over 400 marks The school has a mean score of 327.
Headteacher Hezbon Omwenga said he was happy with the results despite challenges.
St Stephen PCEA Academy, Voi, had its top student Kinoti Happy Mwakazi scoring 419 marks, emerging top in Taita Taveta county.
Deputy headteacher Kangwe’le Mutua noted that the results were positive with great improvement from last year.
“All candidates have performed above average. Parents should embrace children’s performance and prepare them for Form 1,” he said.
In Kwale, Mwendwa Mboya from Bethany Academy scored 421 marks, while Mwachengo Hassan from Makaela Academy garnered 419 marks. Stacey Mghoi from Aga Khan had 418 marks.
John Robert, 14, from Fairfield Academy, scored 415 marks, followed by Danson Kamau with 409, and Eunice Wangoi with 405.
Tana River’s top candidate Winnie Gloria Otieno from Life Frontier scored 413 marks and hopes to join Alliance Girls High school.
By the time of going to press, Star of the Sea–a public school that had 147 candidates–had its leading student getting 397 marks.
Another public school, Ganjoni Primary, had two candidates–Mwamachache Rashid Athman and Fahim Ahmed–tying at 389 marks.
Last year, 18,503 candidates sat the exam in 388 centres in Mombasa but this year, there were 18,873 students registered in 391 centres.
The number of candidates has increased by 695, representing about 3.7 per cent.
Mombasa county was mentioned among 18 counties that had more female candidates than males in the results announced by Education CS George Magoha on Monday.
Others are Trans Nzoia, Kirinyaga, Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Bungoma, Vihiga, Busia, Kiambu, Siaya, Kitui, Embu, Kisumu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Tharaka Nithi, Nyandarua and Bomet.
This year, public schools in Mombasa had the highest number of registered candidates standing at 10,057.
Private schools, which have been producing top candidates in the national exams, had 9,141 candidates.
Mombasa registered 63 candidates on the special needs category.
Lamu was listed among the counties with the lowest candidature alongside Isiolo and Samburu. Kilifi county featured among counties with the highest cases with overage candidates, at 3,716 above 19. Others were Turkana (4,013) and Garissa (1,957).
Taita Taveta registered 8,183 candidates in 213 centres, a drop from last year’s 8,589.
Kwale had 18,374 candidates against last year’s 17,535 and had 395 centres while Mombasa was close at 18,873.
Kilifi had the highest number of candidates standing at 34,161, while Tana River had 4,909, and Lamu (2,956).
Edited by R.Wamochie