Hundreds of Grade 10 learners on Monday turned up at St. Mary’s Mumias Girls High School for admission, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their educational journey.
The admission exercise, which began Monday, will run until Friday, January 16, with the school expecting to enroll about 1,000 learners in Grade 10.
Speaking during the exercise, Senior Principal Mrs. Monicah Buchichi Nyange said she was impressed by the high turnout witnessed on the second day.
“Yesterday, being the first day, activities were relatively calm, but today ( Tuesday) was different. Parents were already at the gate as early as 5 a.m., and we have served them diligently,” she said.
Mrs. Buchichi noted that, in addition to the number allocated by the Ministry of Education, the school also received several walk-in parents seeking admission for their daughters.
“After following the ministry’s directives, we were able to admit additional learners whose parents expressed interest in joining the school,” she added.
Sheila Oketch, a first-time parent whose daughter was admitted, expressed excitement at securing a place at the prestigious institution.
“St. Mary’s is a premier school in the region with a rich history of strong academic performance. I am very happy that my daughter has been admitted here,” she said.
Ms. Oketch added that she travelled from Nairobi and arrived at the school as early as 5 a.m. to ensure her daughter secured admission.
The Deputy Principal in charge of Administration, Mrs. Brenda Wandera, observed that a majority of parents bringing in new students are former parents, an indication of the high level of trust in the school.
“We continue to receive many requests, but our capacity is limited,” she noted.
St. Mary’s Mumias Girls High School was recently ranked the best girls’ school in Kakamega County, outperforming long-established academic giants. The school also emerged among the top institutions in the region, a success widely attributed to the leadership of Senior Principal Mrs. Buchichi.
Many education stakeholders have praised the principal for turning around the school’s academic performance within a short period after assuming leadership.
In the 2025 KCSE results released on Friday by the Education Cabinet Secretary, the school posted an impressive mean score of 8.2, with 412 out of 462 candidates attaining the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above.
The results included 20 A-, 72 B+, 106 B, 112 B-, 102 C+, and 46 C grades, with only three candidates scoring C-, translating to an 88.98 per cent university transition rate and a positive deviation of 0.033 per cent.
The school’s Parents Association representative, Mr. Henry Muhula, also commended the principal for introducing learner-centred and hands-on leadership measures.
“I have rarely seen a leader as focused and committed as our principal,” said Mr. Muhula. “I also congratulate the students for the excellent performance and thank parents for entrusting us with their daughters.”
He further attributed the success to strong support from various stakeholders, including the school sponsor.
St. Mary’s Mumias Girls continues to attract high demand and is now regarded as one of the most sought-after girls’ schools in the region.
The newly admitted Grade 10 class is the pioneer cohort under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The school has confirmed it is fully prepared for the rollout and will offer all three CBC pathways.
