Governor George Natembeya has committed Sh2.8 million to cover school fees for students at Muungano Secondary School in Kiminini Sub-County, a school that recently recorded dismal performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Speaking on Friday evening during a motivational talk with students, the governor said the intervention was aimed at increasing retention and reigniting the learners' interest in education. Muungano Secondary posted a mean grade of 1.883 in last year’s KCSE, with 43 students scoring grade E and the top performer managing a grade C+.
“Education is the greatest equalizer,” Natembeya told the students. “You must break the cycle of poor performance and aim for excellence. The stigma of past results should not define your future. Let this year’s candidates focus on rewriting the school’s narrative.”
The governor also held discussions with teachers, parents, and the school’s board of management, challenging them to adopt a more collaborative approach to improve performance.
He urged teachers to identify students’ interests and motivation levels, noting that engagement in the classroom was critical to academic success.
“What does one need to do to score an E in KCSE?” the governor asked pointedly, sparking laughter among the attendees. “We must work together to ensure these results become a thing of the past.”
The school’s principal, Richard Wanyama, attributed the poor performance to a host of challenges, including high absenteeism, low academic entry behavior, early pregnancies, and lack of parental involvement.
“Most of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, which affects their focus on education,” Wanyama said. “However, with the governor’s intervention, we believe we can turn things around.”
Governor Natembeya called on all stakeholders, including parents, to take a proactive role in supporting the students. He stressed that previous setbacks should not be an excuse for continued underperformance.
“We need a purposive approach where every player—teachers, parents, and the community—contributes to the students’ success,” he said.
The event was attended by senior county officials, including Head of County Public Service Truphosa Amere, Education and Vocational Training Executive Janerose Mutama, Health and Sanitation Executive Samson Ojwang, and Chief Officer for Governance Sammy Sichangi.