Education CS Migos Ogamba briefs President William Ruto on the release of the 2025 KCSE examination results at Eldoret State Lodge, Uasin Gishu County on January 9,
The Ministry of Education has released the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results, revealing a notable improvement in overall candidate performance and a significant rise in the number of students qualifying for university admission.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba announced the results on Friday at AIC Chebisas High School in Eldoret, noting that 993,226 candidates sat the 2025 examinations. This represents an increase of 30,714 candidates (3.19 per cent) compared to the 962,512 candidates who sat the examinations in 2024.
Subject Performance Trends
According to data released by the Ministry, 17 subjects recorded improved performance, matching the number of subjects that improved in 2024. However, 11 subjects registered a decline, slightly higher than the ten subjects that declined the previous year.
At the top of the grading scale, 1,932 candidates (0.19 per cent) attained a mean grade of A (plain), an increase from 1,693 candidates (0.18 per cent) in 2024.
Rise in University Qualifiers
The number of candidates attaining the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above rose significantly to 270,715 (27.18 per cent), up from 246,391 candidates (25.53 per cent) in 2024.
Similarly, candidates scoring C– and above increased to 507,131 (50.92 per cent), compared to 476,889 (49.41 per cent) the previous year. Those achieving a pass grade of D+ and above also rose to 634,082 (63.67 per cent), up from 605,774 (62.76 per cent) in 2024.
School Category Performance
National schools continued to dominate top performance, producing the highest number of A (plain) grades at 1,526 candidates. They were followed by Extra County schools, which recorded 197 A grades, and private schools with 185 A grades.
At the mid-performance level, Sub-County schools outperformed County schools in the number of candidates attaining C+ and above. Sub-County schools recorded 72,699 candidates, compared to 36,600 candidates from County schools.
Gender-Based Performance
On gender performance, female candidates recorded higher mean scores than males in six subjects:
English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Home Science, Christian Religious Education (CRE), and Art & Design.
Male candidates, on the other hand, outperformed females in 11 subjects, including Mathematics (Alternatives A and B), Biology (including Biology for the Blind), Chemistry, General Science, History and Government, Geography, Islamic Religious Education (IRE), Building Construction, and Business Studies.
“The performance of male candidates was comparable to their female counterparts in seven subjects: Physics, Agriculture, Computer Studies, French, German, Arabic and Music,” CS Ogamba said.
Examination Irregularities
On examination integrity, the Education CS disclosed that 1,180 candidates were found to have engaged in examination misconduct. He said their results had been cancelled in accordance with the law and existing examination regulations.
“Consequently, and in line with the applicable law and regulations, their examination results have been cancelled,” Ogamba stated.
The Ministry has urged candidates to access their results through official channels and cautioned against falling victim to fraudsters claiming to offer result alterations.
