Coastal schools improve marginally in last year’s KCPE results

The top female student nationally in the 2013 KCPE results, Daphne Akoth Otieno of Golden Elite Premier in Kisumu County, is carried by elated pupils at her former school. She scored a total of 444 marks out of a possible maximum 500 marks. [PHOTO: TITUS MUNALA/STANDARD]

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR

Coast primary schools improved marginally in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, with the number of female candidates rising from 32,888 in 2012 to 33,997 in 2013.

Boera Felix Robert from Makueni emerged third out of all candidates who sat the examination after scoring 442 marks.

Mombasa County was the most improved of the coastal counties after climbing to position 29 in the ranking of Kenya’s 47 counties, to top the region last year, compared to 35 in 2012, but was still shy of the position 15 it achieved in 2011.

Out of the top 100 candidates nationally, Coast had four on the list from Mombasa County, with three of them having sat the examination in the same school.

According to KCPE results released yesterday, 70,702 candidates in Coast sat the exam, out of which 6,193 were aged 19 years, with 33 cases of cheating reported during last year’s examination.

Daphne Akoth Otieno from Golden Elite Academy Kisumu was the top national candidate in the KCPE results released by Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi in Nairobi yesterday.

National glory

She scored 444 marks out of the possible maximum 500 marks, rekindling the national glory that was associated with the municipality in the ‘80s.

Nadabha Nadine Angela topped Kakamega County and was position 18 nationally with 438 marks while Winston Churchill Ouma from Kisumu emerged in position 55 nationally with 435 marks.

Private academies edged out public schools to produce all the top 10 candidates in last year’s national examination.

Kimutai Brian of Stewards Light School in Nandi County scored 444 marks to emerge the country’s top spot and maintain the lead of private schools in the examination.

Prof Kaimenyi said there was no major improvement in overall performance.

Of the top 10 candidates, there were seven girls against five boys. Overall, Kaimenyi said the results posted the best gender parity results in years.

A total of 12 candidates scrambled for the top 10 slots, with four sets of ties.

Mpekethu Uniter Riziki of Meru County, Boera Felix Robert of Makueni, Koskey Jonathan Kipkurui of Nairobi County and Nambiro Emmanuel Mulayi of Kajiado County scored 442 marks to post the second best marks.

Omondi Jully Lydia Awuor of Kisumu and Angolio Yujin Mosongo of Kajiado County scored 441 marks to form another tie.

Masila Timothy Ian Kindiu and Onyango Elizabeth Atieno, both of Nairobi, Chepkorir Dorcas Cheruiyot of Kericho and Ndete Velma Imali of Kajiado each scored 440 marks to close the best candidates in the top 10. Kajiado County produced three candidates in the top 10 spots.

examination irregularities

Last year saw an increase in examination irregularities compared to 2012. Kaimenyi said some 1,576 candidates were involved in cheating, representing 0.19 per cent of the total candidature.

The incidents were reported in 86 of the 23,362 examination centres. In 2012, only 718 candidates were involved in examination malpractices in 41 centres.

This means that an additional 858 candidates were involved in last year’s examination cheating. Kaimenyi attributed this increase to delayed determination of examination irregularity cases by the courts.

He also said failure to gazette the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) regulations has also slowed down implementation of some of the provisions of the Knec Act 2012.

The cabinet secretary instructed all county directors of education to investigate why cases of examination irregularities increased.

“I hereby direct all the directors in areas where cheating was reported to investigate and issue a report committing themselves to ensuring the vice is eliminated,” said Kaimenyi.

He said the Ministry of Education would seek audience with Chief Justice Willy Mutunga to ensure examination irregularity cases were expedited.

KCSE 2014

“I also wish to bring to the attention of all candidates intending to sit KCSE in 2014 that involvement in examination regularities will directly translate to being barred from sitting any Knec examinations for three consecutive years,” he said.

Of the 47 counties, only 19 reported no cases of cheating.

Kaimenyi said only 417,483 candidates scored 251 marks and above in the 2013 results. This compares to 416,900 candidates who scored same marks in 2012.

“The overall performance of candidates in the 2013 KCPE is relatively the same when compared to last year,” he said.

Kaimenyi announced that candidates would for the first time get their result slips within one week after the release of the results.

He said Form One selections would commence on January 14, noting that this year more than 76.5 per cent of candidates are expected to transition to Form One, which is higher than last year.

Candidates will be admitted to 79 national schools, which include 27 schools recently elevated to this category.

In other rankings, public schools produced 18 of the 20 most improved schools. Mabesheni Primary School in Kwale County was listed as the best improved school with a new mean score of 290 up from 180 in 2012.

Dadajabulla Primary School in Wajir County emerged the second most improved school with a mean score of 237, up from 133 in 2012. Alhidaya of Wajir and Hornimo of Garissa were the only academies listed under most improved schools in the top 20 category.

IMPROVED SCHOOLS

Other improved schools were Ngege, Got Nyasumbi and Got Rembo of Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya counties respectively.

On counties’ performance, Kirinyaga emerged top with a mean score of 274, a one-point increase from last year. Elgeyo/Marakwet came second with a mean score of 271 as Makueni and Nandi counties posted a mean score of 267 to emerged third best performers. Uasin Gishu and Busia capped the top five counties with a mean score of 266.