For years, the Coast region has been disparaged as the "sleeping giant" of Kenyan education, often lagging in national rankings. But the 2025 KCSE results have delivered a stunning rebuttal. Led by the private powerhouse Memon Academy and the resilient public giant Kenyatta High School Mwatate, the region has posted its best performance in a decade.

The celebrations in Mombasa began early. Memon Academy produced one of the country's top students, Hamid Ali Mohamed, who scored a straight A of 84 points. But the joy was not limited to private enclaves. Public schools, long neglected, have roared back.

The Rise of the Public Sector

• Kenyatta High School Mwatate: The Taita Taveta giant proved its mettle with four straight As and a mean score of 9.2. Principal Severine Touwa attributed the success to a "program of character." "We taught them that the heat of the coast is for refining gold, not for laziness," he said.
• Matuga Girls (Kwale): In Kwale, Matuga Girls produced the county's top girl, Ndanu Hellen (83 points). The school has overcome challenges of water scarcity and historical marginalization to compete with Nairobi's best.
• Mama Ngina Girls: The only national girls' school in Mombasa city also posted a 98% transition rate, silencing critics who claimed city distractions were killing performance.

Beating the Stereotypes

Education stakeholders in the region are ecstatic. "We have fought the narrative that Coast students are only good for music and culture," said Mombasa Education Director. "We have fought the drug menace that steals our youth. These results are proof that our children are brilliant."

The Memon Factor

Memon Academy’s consistency is noteworthy. By blending the British curriculum's discipline with the 8-4-4 rigour, it has created a unique academic culture. The school’s focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is producing a generation of coastal engineers and doctors who, it is hoped, will return to build the region.

As the "Mombasa Raha" mood takes over, it is flavored with a new pride: academic excellence. The sleeping giant has not just woken up; it is sprinting.