20 districts fail to produce candidates with 400 marks

Nearly 20 districts failed to produce candidates with 400 marks and above.

But though poor, the candidates still ended up in national schools, thanks to the district and public versus private schools quotas.

The best candidate in Loima District had 353 marks from Kodopa Primary School. But he was selected to join Lodwar, a national school.

Impressively, all the 93 candidates there selected to join high schools sat their exams from public schools.

In Garbatula District, the first candidate scored 393 marks and was picked to join Chogoria Girls.
The first candidate from Laisamis scored 388 and has been picked to join Chogoria Girls.

At the Coast region, the best candidate from Lamu East, with 375 marks, has been selected to join Bura Girls.

In Loinyangalani District, the best candidate scored 365 marks and has been picked to join Meru School.
The first candidate in Marsabit, who scored 395 marks, will join Moi High, Mbiruri.

In Mashuru District, the first candidate who scored 390 has been selected by Kanga High, while Matete’s top pupil, who obtained 394 marks, will join Maranda.

Sameta District in Kisii had a top candidate who scored only 387 but will join the Kenya High School.

Other districts whose top candidates could not reach the envied 400 marks included Merti (353), Moyale (399), Muumoni (392), North Horr (374), Pokot Central (397), Pokot South (396) and Rabai (399). Others are Tana Delta (387), Tharaka North (398) and Tseikuru (397).

The district listing shows that nearly all the districts had candidates with as little as 100 marks finding places in secondary schools.

It also shows that all the candidates selected in at least 200 districts sat the examinations in public primary schools.

The districts include Loima, Loitoktok, Loinyangalani, Samburu North and Taita. Others are Tana Delta Chalbi, Ganze and Kathonzweni.
Releasing the KCPE results on December 29, Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said admission to public schools this year would be based on merit, quotas, equity, affirmative actionand individual pupil choices.

It was not, however, clear whether the quotas would be reviewed to reflect the changes private schools were proposing.

Prof Kaimenyi has previously defended the formula that gives preference to pupils from public schools over private ones, arguing it was a deliberate effort by the government to ensure pupils from poor families access top national schools.

The government enforced the public versus private schools policy four years ago because private school candidates previously dominated top positions in the KCPE examination and gobbled up most slots in national schools.”