The performance of students in the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam showed a significant improvement compared to the 2023 results, especially in the number of top scorers and university entry qualifications.
Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Migos Ogamba, while announcing the 2024 KCSE results, praised the students’ efforts and credited the improved performance to the new grading system introduced in 2023.
The new system considers only two compulsory subjects when calculating a student’s final grade — Mathematics and one language subject, which can be either English, Kiswahili, or Kenya Sign Language.
This is a shift from the previous method, which required the consideration of five subjects from three cluster groups.
In 2024, the number of students who scored a mean grade of A increased significantly from 1,216 in 2023 to 1,693. This rise indicates an upward trend in the number of top-performing candidates.
Regarding university entry qualifications, the number of students who scored C+ and above, the minimum requirement for direct university admission, also rose.
A total of 246,391 candidates (25.53%) achieved this grade compared to 201,133 candidates (22.27%) in the previous year.
The number of candidates scoring a C- also saw an increase. In 2024, 476,889 students (49.41%) attained this grade compared to 401,216 candidates (44.2%) in 2023.
The results further showed that 605,774 candidates (62.76%) scored D+ and above, an improvement from 526,222 candidates (58.22%) the previous year.
However, 48,333 candidates received a mean grade of E, with 20,112 being female candidates and 28,221 male candidates.
CS Ogamba emphasized that fairness and transparency were prioritized during the marking process. To ensure integrity, all exam papers were marked anonymously without any student details visible to the examiners.
Unfortunately, exam malpractices were reported. A total of 840 candidates had their results canceled due to confirmed cases of cheating.
Additionally, results for 2,829 candidates were withheld due to suspected irregularities pending further investigation, which will be concluded within 30 days.
CS Ogamba also announced disciplinary measures against 91 teachers and other contracted professionals who were found to have assisted in exam malpractice.
He assured the public that further investigations and actions would be taken to uphold the credibility of national exams.
Join Kenyan Gen z and millennials official WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time the ongoing situation https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
