Orero High School Breaks Plain A Jinx as Retired Principal’s Final Wish Comes True.

By Godfrey Wamalwa 

Orero High School has recorded a landmark performance in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, finally cracking the elusive plain A that had slipped beyond the school’s grasp in recent years.

The breakthrough carries special significance for the school’s recently retired Chief Principal, Dickens Bula, whose enduring prayer was to see Orero produce a straight A candidate before he exited office. In a fitting finale, the long-awaited grade emerged from his last batch of candidates, sealing his tenure with a historic academic milestone.

The results, announced on Friday by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migosi, place Orero among the top-performing public schools in Homa Bay County. The school posted one plain A, 24 A-, 144 B+, and 271 B grades, reflecting both excellence at the top and depth across the candidature. A further 179 candidates scored B-, while 46 attained C+ grades.

Notably, the school registered zero D and E grades, a rare achievement that underscores disciplined learning, targeted academic support and effective instructional management.

Out of 663 candidates, 656 qualified for direct university admission, translating to an impressive 98.9 per cent transition rate. Orero recorded a mean score of  Mean 8.8658     marking a steady upward trajectory in performance.

Education stakeholders say the results crown years of deliberate reforms instituted under Mr Bula’s leadership, including early syllabus coverage, rigorous internal assessments and close learner tracking. Teachers credit the outcome to teamwork among staff, students, parents and the Board of Management.

“This is a defining moment for the school,” said a senior teacher. “The plain A may have been elusive, but it has come at the most symbolic time  as the principal takes his final bow.”

Parents and local leaders have hailed the results as a morale booster for public schools in Rangwe Sub-county, noting that Orero High School has now firmly entrenched itself as a centre of academic excellence.

As celebrations continue, the school’s new administration has pledged to consolidate the gains and sustain the standards set by the outgoing principal.

For Mr Dickens Bula, the results stand as a powerful testament that vision, consistency and perseverance can deliver results  even when the wait is long.