More than 200,000 candidates achieved the minimum university entry qualification in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam, marking a 16% increase from the previous year. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced the results, attributing the rise to a new grading system that reduced compulsory subjects required for mean grade computation.
This surge in qualifying candidates raises concerns about increased pressure on higher education funding. The Kenyan government plans to implement a new funding model for universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) institutions, focusing on a need-based approach. President William Ruto announced this shift in funding, incorporating scholarships, loans, and household contributions based on vulnerability levels.
In the latest results, 1,216 candidates achieved the top grade A, with national schools contributing the highest number of top scorers. The overall number of learners who took the exam rose by 2.1% to 899,453. Notably, there was a significant increase in the number of girls scoring A, A-, and B+, while male candidates showed slower growth in the same category.
Out of 30 subjects, 12 recorded improvements, including Mathematics, Kiswahili Language, Biology, Business Studies, German Language, Music, Chemistry, Christian Religious Education (CRE), Building and Construction, French Language, and Electricity.
The Education CS highlighted gender disparities in subject performance, with females outperforming males in English Language, Kiswahili, CRE, Home Science, and Art & Design. Conversely, males showed better performance in subjects such as Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, General Science, History & Government, Geography, Agriculture, Computer Studies, and Business Studies.
The percentage of candidates scoring D+ and above was 58.27%, compared to 59.14% in the previous year. However, the number of candidates scoring Grade E reached a record high of 48,174, representing 5.3% of all learners, a concerning trend under the revised grading system.
Exam irregularities led to the cancellation of only four candidates’ results out of 4,113 recorded cases, with ongoing investigations for the rest. In a departure from the initial plan, candidates who missed the final edition of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam in the previous year will be allowed to join Form One without the qualifying test, following further audit results that identified 2,000 eligible learners out of the initially estimated 9,000.