CompetitionPast Event — Recap
National Spelling Bee Finals
Friday, 5 December 2025 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi
Forty finalists from six regional heats competed across progressively harder rounds, ending in a sudden-death spell-off that ran to eleven extra rounds before crowning the national champion.
What happened on the day
A breakdown of every activity that ran as part of this event.
Spelling Bee
Regional Finalist Rounds
Forty finalists from six regional heats competed across five standard rounds.
Spelling Bee
Sudden-Death Spell-Off
The top two finalists went to an eleven-round sudden-death tie-break.
Highlights from the day
- 40 finalists from 6 regional heats competed
- The final spell-off ran to 11 extra rounds before a winner was decided
- The winning word in the final round was 'onomatopoeia'
- This was the largest spelling bee final Pioneers has hosted to date
Results
National Champion
1st
Brian Otieno, Age 13
Runner-Up
2nd
Faith Njeri, Age 12
Photos from the day
Judges
James Mwangi, Dr. Susan Achieng
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