The confusion and discrepancies in the KCPE results released on November 23 were in SMS service and not linked to exams council, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has clarified.
During the release of the results, some candidates got misaligned marks, with Kiswahili marks erroneously placed under Kenya Sign Language.S
Science, Social Studies, and Religious Education grades were truncated incorrectly, missing the expected plus and minus signs.
“The error affected only the SMS results due to configuration issues, as the results in the KNEC portal are accurate. KNEC notified the SMS service providers, and the error in the text messages was resolved immediately,” KNEC explained.
The examination body revealed that a review found 130 candidates had been awarded low marks, and corrections were made.
Regarding a school with candidates attaining identical marks of 75 in Science, KNEC stated that no evidence suggested irregularities that would necessitate result nullification.
Also Read: Special exam for thousands who missed KCPE exam
The best-performing KCPE candidate scored 428 marks out of 500, slightly lower than 431 last year.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu reported that only 8,525 candidates scored above 400 marks, constituting 0.60% of the total.
Breaking down the results, 352,782 candidates scored between 300 and 399 marks (24.29 percent), while 658,278 candidates fell within the 200 to 299 marks range (48.49 percent).
Additionally, 383,025 candidates scored between 100 and 199 marks, and 2,060 scored between one and 99 marks.
Regarding gender distribution, 51.3 percent were male candidates while females taking up 48.7 percent. Female candidates outperformed their male counterparts in English, Kiswahili, and Kenya Sign Language. Males excelled slightly in Maths and Science.
KNEC is planning a special exam for candidates who missed the papers in January since this was the last KCPE as the 8-4-4 folded after close to four decades.
Form One placement that is starting on Monday will conclude after two weeks, offering parents and guardians room to prepare for January admissions.
