Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has officially announced the release of the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, revealing a historic milestone in the gender distribution of candidates.
Addressing the nation, CS Ogamba disclosed that a total of 962,512 candidates sat for the exams this year, marking an increase from last year’s 899,453. In a significant shift, female candidates, at 482,202, outnumbered their male counterparts, who numbered 480,310. This marks the first time in the history of the KCSE that more female candidates participated in the exams than male candidates.
"Today, we celebrate not only the academic achievements of our students but also the strides we have made toward gender equality in education," CS Ogamba remarked. "This year’s figures reflect the growing empowerment of women in education, a trend that we are committed to continuing."
Highlighting the performance of the candidates, the CS revealed that 1,693 candidates achieved the top grade, Grade A. Additionally, the number of students who scored C+ and above, the minimum university entry requirement, rose significantly to 246,391 from 201,133 in 2023.
However, the announcement was also tempered with the revelation of exam irregularities. A total of 840 candidates had their results canceled due to involvement in examination malpractices, while 2,829 others had their results withheld pending investigations. CS Ogamba further disclosed that 91 professionals, including teachers, were implicated in aiding these irregularities and would face disciplinary action.
In a major shift from previous years, the CS confirmed that candidates would no longer be able to access their results via SMS. The service was discontinued after numerous complaints about its reliability. Instead, the official KNEC portal, results.knec.ac.ke, will be the exclusive platform for result access. Candidates can now check their results by entering their index number and registration details.
CS Ogamba concluded his address by congratulating all the candidates for their hard work and urging them to continue striving for excellence in their academic and professional journeys.