By Erick Otieno
St Joseph’s School Rapogi has been thrown into mourning after losing one of its 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates, despite posting one of its best performances in the school’s history.
Speaking to the media yesterday at the school compound, Senior Principal Mr Erastus Nyagwa confirmed the tragic death of Sheltone Nyang’or, a candidate who scored a mean grade of C+. The principal said the school received heartbreaking news that the student lost his life while attempting to retrieve a mobile phone that had accidentally fallen into a pit latrine. In the process, the candidate entered the latrine and met his untimely death.
“This is a very painful loss to the school community. We mourn a young life full of promise, even as we celebrate academic success,” said Mr Nyagwa.
The tragedy came at a time when the school registered a sterling performance in the 2025 KCSE examinations, significantly improving on last year’s results. A total of 14 candidates scored grade A (plain), 77 attained A minus, 159 scored B plus, 170 got B (plain), 123 scored B minus, 46 obtained C plus, 17 scored C (plain) while three candidates posted C minus. This translated to 609 candidates qualifying for direct university entry, representing 95.4619 per cent, up from 588 candidates (91.4966 per cent) in 2024.
In the 2025 results, the top student, Innocent Mike, emerged as the best performer with an A (plain) of 84 points. Mr Nyagwa attributed the improved performance to teamwork and discipline.
“The upward trend is a result of combined effort and cooperation from teachers, parents and the discipline shown by our students,” he said.
The principal further noted that the school improved its mean grade to 9.1264 in 2025 from 8.5894 in 2024. “We are happy with the growth and encouraged by the progress,” he added.
Mr Edwine Odhiambo, the teacher in charge of the 2025 class, also credited the strong performance to teamwork. “The good results came from close collaboration with parents, hardworking teachers and committed students,” he said.
Deputy Principal in charge of academics, Mr Adongo Alphons, echoed the sentiments, saying the school’s philosophy of putting God first had played a key role. “Students, teachers and all stakeholders played their part. That is why we achieved these results,” he said. Mr Alphons added that the school is now targeting a mean grade of 10 with the current candidates and is already working towards that goal.
Elsewhere in Migori County, several schools also posted impressive results. Kanga School in Rongo recorded a mean grade of 9.43434, Kadika Girls in Suna East posted 8.78, Sori Boys in Nyatike attained 8.3214, while Nyangere Mixed and Sota Secondary SDA, both in Nyatike, recorded mean grades of 8.039 and 8.0097 respectively.
As celebrations over academic excellence continue, the St Joseph’s Rapogi community remains united in grief, mourning the loss of a promising candidate whose life was cut short at the moment of achievement.
