There are positive indicators in this year’s KCSE results, build on them

There was excitement, hope and celebrations when this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results were released on Friday after an unexpected day-long wait. The Ministry of Education had indicated in the morning that they would release the results, triggering anxiety and high expectations. When the ceremony kicked in the afternoon, all eyes were on Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed. Of the 660,204 candidates, some 90,377 attained the minimum university entry grade of C+. This means 20,000 more students have qualified for university compare to last year’s 70,073. While this presents a unique challenge to universities, the improved performance should be hailed even as the country invests in more institutions of higher learning. There was also a notable narrowing down of the gender gap, where there were 23,192 more female candidates compared to last year. An review of the KCSE candidature trends in the last five years showed a steady increase in the number of girls registering for the exam.  
Taita Taveta, Kwale, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Meru, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kakamega, Vihiga and Kisumu counties recorded a higher number of female candidates compared to male.