Celebration time as Sheikh Khalifa leads Coast with stellar KCSE results

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary School cemented its position as an education powerhouse after it emerged among the country’s top performing schools in the just-released 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results.

Driven by determination, the Mombasa-based school established itself as a trendsetter in academic excellence and the crème de la crème in the coast region where it achieved the top ranking in the national secondary examinations.

Results released on Friday, January 9, 2026, showed the school posting an impressive mean score of 9.6415 points, with 17 students attaining the coveted A grade. This marked a significant improvement from the 2024 KCSE results, where the school recorded a mean score of 9.01 and produced four A grades.

To crown its outstanding performance, all 212 candidates who sat the 2025 examinations qualified for direct university entry after attaining grades of C+ and above, achieving a 100 per cent transition rate.

At the school, it was celebration time as cheers filled the compound with teachers and parents hoisting top performers who included Mohamed Hassan Aziz and Abdulghafur Issa Timamy on their shoulders. Both students earned A plain, part of the elite group of 17 top scorers.

“It was a wonderful moment. The results surpassed our performance over the past two years. We thank Allah for this success,” said an elated school principal, Sheikh Rishard Rajab.

“We had set a double target of achieving a mean score of 9.5 and a 100 per cent university transition rate, and I am proud to say we surpassed both,” he added.

Sheikh Rishard attributed the success to the dedication and discipline of the students, the sacrifices made by teachers—who spent long hours tutoring candidates and supervising evening preps—and the unwavering support of the board of trustees and the school’s management team.

“This achievement was the result of teamwork, strategic academic planning, and targeted reforms that helped us stay focused on our goals,” he said.

He further noted that life skills programmes, which included engagement sessions with academic experts and motivational speakers from within and outside the school, played a key role in inspiring students and boosting their confidence, ultimately contributing to their academic success.

Located along the Mombasa–Malindi Highway, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Secondary Technical and Secondary School was established in February 1985 as a goodwill initiative between the governments and people of the United Arab Emirates and Kenya.

Other Muslim institutions in Mombasa that posted commendable results included Memon High School, Quba Academy, and Istiqama Academy.

The 2025 KCSE results were officially released on Friday, January 9, at AIC Chebisaas High School in Eldoret during a ceremony attended by senior education stakeholders led by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.

According to the Ministry of Education, 993,226 candidates sat for the national examinations, with more than 270,000 attaining grades of C+ and above, qualifying them for direct entry into universities.