Nyabururu Girls National School holds Prayer Day for KCSE candidates, confident of exemplary results

Nyabururu Girls National School in Kisii County held a prayer day for its 562 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates on Thursday, with the principal saying the class of 2026 is ready to improve on the school's past performance.

Chief Principal Dr Joyce Orioki told the gathering that the candidates had shown discipline, resilience and focus. "They have covered the syllabus in good time and gone through thorough revision. We are ready to uphold our National status and break our own records," she said.

The mass was held at the school's Dr Joyce Orioki Auditorium, a 3,000-seater commissioned earlier this year by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba. It was presided over by the Father-in-Charge of Nyabururu Parish, Rev Fr. Dennis Rongena, under the Catholic Diocese of Kisii, which is led by Bishop Joseph Mairura Okemwa.

Chief Principal Dr Joyce Orioki (centre) joined teachers and the school choir during this year's Prayer Day at the school

More than 70 teachers took part together with the candidates. The candidates wore cream tops and green bottoms, while teachers wore green and yellow tops, which the school said symbolised peace, purity and tranquillity.

Parents, led by Mrs Doris Barongo, expressed confidence in the school and teachers and prayed for peace, good health and success for their children.

In last year's KCSE, the school posted a mean score of 8.56, a B plain, and was ranked 56th nationally. Of 505 candidates, 462 scored C+ and above, the minimum for university entry. They included nine with straight As, 45 with A- and 114 with B+.

This year's class has 562 candidates. The school credited its Deputy Principal for the focus on discipline and syllabus coverage, and for mentoring the girls.

Nyabururu is described as the first national school in Kisii County. Two other girls' schools in the county, Kereri Girls and St Charles Lwanga Ichuni Girls, were recently elevated to national status.

The school traces its roots to the Nyabururu mission, which was opened on October 13, 1911, by the Mill Hill Missionaries, Fr Brandsma and Fr Jack de Wall. It began as a small girls' primary school in 1936 and later became an intermediate school before developing into the current secondary school.

The candidates will join 1,048,355 others sitting the KCSE this year. Mr Ogamba, speaking on Friday, October 30, after inspecting examination containers in Bomet, said it was the largest candidature in the history of the KCSE and the first time it had crossed one million.

He attributed the growth to the 100 per cent transition policy from primary to secondary school, free day secondary education, the re-entry of girls who had dropped out and better tracking of learners through the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).

The examination runs from Monday, November 2, to November 20.