The 7th Asia World Schools Debating Championship (AWSDC) convened from Sunday 29 June to Thursday 3 July 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Anglo‑Singapore International School campus. Regarded as a prime pre-tournament to next year’s World Schools Debating Championship (2026 in Nairobi), AWSDC attracted top high school debating teams from across Asia and beyond .
The tournament utilized the World Schools Style — featuring eight-minute speeches and strategic, impromptu exchanges — across preliminary rounds followed by knockout stages. In a thrilling display of skill and composure, Team Kenya triumphed as the novice champion at AWSDC 2025. Their path to victory marked a significant milestone on the international debating stage, showcasing Kenya’s rising talent in global competitions.
Among the members of the victorious Team Kenya were three outstanding students from Strathmore School, who all made invaluable contributions:
- Jayden Kiragu (Form 2)
- Stephan Ogembo (Form 2)
- Murakaru Njuki (Form 3)
These boys were selected to represent the Kenya WSDC Development Team. Team Kenya—featuring our 3 boys—excelled through both prepared and impromptu rounds:
- Prepared Rounds: Crafted clear definitions of key terms, built principled and pragmatic cases and effectively engaged with Points of Information.
- Impromptu Rounds: Under strict one-hour prep, they quickly structured arguments and used real-world evidence confidently.
- Knock‑outs: In quarter/semi-finals, they combined precise argumentation with strong rebuttals.
- Novice Final: The trio delivered standout performances—strong content, style, POI engagement, and persuasive reply speeches—to secure the novice championship.
🎙️ Skills & Highlights
Team Dynamics: Not only did all three speakers show excellent individual performance, but their teamwork—allocating roles between definition, content, rebuttal and replies—was especially impressive under pressure.
Points of Information (POIs): They effectively used well-timed POIs to unsettle opponents, demonstrating strong engagement during constructive speeches.
Reply Speeches: Their final replies clearly laid out lines of argument, dived into main clashes, and wrapped up persuasively—helping them clinch tight decisions.
The Asia World Schools Debating Championship 2025 was a landmark event — highlighting talent, diversity and intellectual excellence. Team Kenya’s novice team, featuring Strathmore School’s own Jayden Kiragu, Stephan Ogembo and Murakaru Njuki deserves hearty congratulations.
👏 Looking Ahead
With this triumph, these young champions gain momentum and invaluable international exposure as they prepare for the 2026 World Schools Debating Championships in Nairobi. Expectations are high that they will continue to excel and elevate Kenya’s standing among the world’s debating elite.