Nakuru’s Langalanga School on top after beating KCSE giants

Langalanga Secondary School Principal Henry Cheruiyot. The day school in Nakuru has attracted unusual attention after posting good results in the 2016 KCSE exam, with over 150 students set to join public universities. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Many parents whose children sat their KCPE in 2016 are now seeking to enrol them in the day school.
  • The school achieved an impressive mean score of 7.7.
  • It admits pupils with marks as low as 250 in KCPE, with the highest being an average of 300 marks.
  • Most are from the slums of Kaptembwa, Kwa Rhonda, Kivumbini, Flamingo and London estate.

Following the release of the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam results, Langalanga Secondary School in Nakuru Town has attracted unusual attention.

Many parents whose children sat the 2016 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam are now seeking to enrol them at the day school, which is set to send over 150 students to public universities.

“Since the KCSE results were announced, we have received hundreds of applications from parents and inquiries on how we managed to send such a huge number of students to public universities [from] a day school,” said Principal Henry Cheruiyot.

The day school beat established giants in the region, such as Menengai High School and Nakuru Day, to emerge the top school in the cosmopolitan town.

More than 150 students out of 247 candidates who sat the KCSE exam in 2016 scored a mean grade of C+ and above, thus qualifying to join public universities.

The school achieved an impressive mean score of 7.7.

250 ENTRY MARK

The school admits pupils with marks as low as 250 in KCPE, with the highest being an average of 300 marks.

It sits on five acres of land and was hived off from the neighbouring Afraha High School in 1984.

It started with a population of 160 students and now has 940.

The school’s catchment area includes the slums of Kaptembwa, Kwa Rhonda, Kivumbini, Flamingo and London estate, among other low-income sections of the town.

Mr Cheruiyot joined the school in 2002 and is its longest-serving principal.

He said that discipline played a key role in the improved results.

“[A] majority of our students come from slum areas of Nakuru and have many challenges to overcome, a key one being absenteeism and indiscipline, but once they arrive here we work hard as a team of teachers to mould them into good future citizens,” said Mr Cheruiyot.

He also said many students have been affected by the betting craze that has hit the country recently.

But he said the school has worked with the affected students to minimise the effects of gambling addiction.

“When a student misses a class, it is upon the school management to make a follow-up and establish where the students are and bring them back to class,” said the principal.

Besides that, Mr Cheruiyot says teamwork among the 34 teachers and the 13 support staff has also helped the school record good results.