KCSE: Girls shun technical fields as boys shine
Education
By
Lewis Nyaundi
| Jan 10, 2026
The 2025 KCSE results have exposed subjects girls are keeping off in secondary schools.
An analysis of the results shows that courses such as metalwork, electricity, power mechanics, drawing and design, and aviation technology attracted only a handful of female candidates.
Releasing the results on Friday at Chebisaas Boys High School in Eldoret, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the number of female candidates in these subjects was low that the Kenya National Examination Council(KNEC) could barely make a comparison with their male counterparts taking the same subjects.
These subjects are closely linked to engineering, construction, manufacturing and aviation careers that society has long labelled as masculine.
Education experts now say that lack of deliberate investment in girls’ schools to empower them in technical skills could be the cause of the gender gap in these subjects.
But that’s not all. In the 2025 KCSE examination, male candidates posted higher mean scores in 11 subjects predominantly science- and skill-based.
They are Mathematics (Alternatives A and B), Biology, Chemistry, General Science, History and Government, Geography, Islamic Religious Education (IRE), Building Construction and Business Studies.
Emmanuel Manyasa, the Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, argues that limited infrastructure in girls’ schools has played a big role in locking girls out of technical learning.
He says many girls’ schools lack workshops, tools and trained teachers needed to offer subjects like metalwork or power mechanics.
“Some girls’ schools were never equipped to teach these subjects, either by design or through years of neglect. When a subject is not available, interest never gets a chance to grow,” Manyasa said.
He adds that when technical subjects are concentrated in boys’ schools, they slowly become branded as “male subjects”, discouraging girls even where options exist.
Janet Ouko Muthoni, an education empowerment advocate, said girls are often notencouraged early enough to see themselves as future engineers, technicians or pilots.
“If girls are not exposed to role models, career guidance and supportive learning environments, they will naturally shy away from subjects they are told directly or indirectly are not meant for them. That exposure is very important,” Muthoni said.
Muthoni said the success of women already taking technical courses proves girls can thrive when given a chance.
“Yong women in universities and technical colleges are excelling in engineering and electrical courses. The problem is not ability. It is access, exposure and confidence at secondary school level,” Oukosaid.
On the otherhand, girls outperformed boys in six subjects: English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Home Science, Christian Religious Education (CRE) and Art and Design.
In seven subjects, performance between boys and girls was evenly matched, with both posting nearly identical results.
The subjects are Physics, Agriculture, Computer Studies, French, German, Arabic and Music.
Kenya National Examination Council chief executive officer David Njengere said 30 subjects were offered in the 2025 KCSE exam.
Overall, 1,932 candidates, representing 0.19 per cent of the total 993,226 who sat the examination, attained an overall mean grade of A (plain).
This marked an improvement compared to 2024, when 1,693 candidates, or 0.18 per cent, achieved the same grade.
A total of 30,714 more candidates sat the 2025 KCSE examination compared to the 962,512 candidates in 2024, representing an increase of 3.19 per cent.
Of the 993,226 candidates who sat the 2025 examination, 492,012 were male, and 501,214 were female, accounting for 49.54 per cent and 50.46 per cent of the total candidature, respectively.
“This is the second year in a row since the inception of the KCSE examination that female candidates have outnumbered male candidates,” Ogamba said.