KCPE achievers reflect on new education shift

Kakamega primary school headteacher Dickson Wanyangu addressing grade 9 candidates. [Benjamin Sakwa/Standard]

The new Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) model marks a sharp departure from the old Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) grading system.

The KCPE system relied on a single high-stakes examination, a nationwide merit list, and cut-throat competition that defined learners by one moment.

Today’s framework focuses on individual performance, continuous assessment, and career pathways, a shift many former KCPE high achievers say would have changed their trajectories.

The Standard spoke to some of the pioneer millennials of the 500-mark era, now in different professions, to reflect on that old system: the pressure, the expectations, and how it shaped their lives. 

Serah Lemurt sat her KCPE in 2006 at Siana Boarding Primary School in Narok, scoring 409 marks out of 500. She emerged second in her school and secured a place at the prestigious Alliance Girls’ High School, an achievement, she says, born out of a system designed to be unforgiving.

“To be honest, the pressure was real. Being top of my class came with immense expectations. I remember walking into the first exam room completely tensed even though I had prepared well,” she recalls.

Now a chemical engineer, Lemurt says her KCPE performance did not automatically predict her career path.

In 2002, Duke Mogaka scored an impressive 430 marks while at Highgate Academy in Mombasa. Still, he missed out on Alliance High School, his dream secondary school.

“I put in everything. But even with that score, I couldn’t get a place,” he says. “I ended up at Nakuru High.”

He still excelled and pursued medicine.

Mogaka believes the new system broadens learners’ exposure and decision-making.

Ken Echesa scored 386 marks at Shitoto Primary School in 2002. His motivation was singular: St Peter’s Mumias Boys, one of Kakamega County’s top schools.

“The pressure was real, from my teachers and my mother. They wanted a national school, and I am happy I achieved my dream,” he says.

At St Peter’s, he scored a B and began nurturing his passion for public speaking.”

But Echesa is a critic of the new assessment system.

“In my opinion, it is vague and still shrouded in secrecy because real scores may not be fully disclosed. It doesn’t ignite passion for excellence,” he says.

Granvil Indumba Jirongo sat KCPE in 2003 at Kamimei Primary School in Nandi, scoring 287 marks, far below his expectations.

“At only 14, the pressure was intense. I carried the hopes of my family and community. The outcome wasn’t what I expected. But it didn’t dampen my spirits. One exam was not going to define my future.”

Jirongo later scored a C+ in KCSE, pursued teaching, and now works at the Kurnai College in Melbourne, Australia. He believes the new system is long overdue.

For Julius Miiri, now an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, the discipline he adopted as a pupil at Eldoret Union Primary School, waking up at 4am to study, shaped the rhythm of his adult life.

“I performed fairly well, thanks to that routine. I did quite well, but I couldn’t secure a place in a boarding school because my family couldn’t afford it at the time,” Miiri recalls. “I ended up joining Uasin Gishu High School within Eldoret town.”

He says the pressure he experienced throughout primary and secondary school instilled resilience, dedication and a strong work ethic.

Miiri believes the new system can be strengthened by reducing disparities among learners and creating a more level playing field.

“We need uniformity in how continuous assessments are administered,” he says.