This year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations recorded a drop in the number of candidates who scored 401 marks and above.
According to the results announced yesterday by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, the number of candidates fell from 11,559 last year to 9,770.
However, there was a marked rise in the number of candidates who scored between 301 and 400 marks as compared to 2018.
Last year, 223,862 candidates scored between 301 and 400 marks compared to 243,320 this year.
Another 566,866 candidates scored between 201 and 300 marks while 262,307 had between 101 and 200 marks.
A total of 1,083,456 candidates sat the examinations between October 29 and October 31 compared to last year's 1,052,344.
According to the 2019 results, 543,582 boys (50.1 per cent) and 539,874 girls (49.9 per cent) wrote the exams.
Female candidates performed better than their male counterparts in English, Kiswahili and Kenya Sign Language but ceded ground in maths, science and social studies.
Last year, 50 per cent of the candidates scored over 200 marks, with two tying at the top with 453 marks.
This year, there was improvement in four out of seven subjects namely; English, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language and Social Studies.
There was a slight drop in Maths performance.
Exam centres
The candidates were examined in seven subjects and tested in nine papers in 27,827 examination centres.
Eighteen counties registered more female candidates compared to male candidates, namely; Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Bungoma, Vihiga, Busia, Kiambu, Siaya, Kitui, Embu, Kisumu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Tharaka Nithi, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Trans Nzoia, Mombasa and Bomet.
Prof Magoha said the over one million pupils who sat the exams will proceed to secondary school as part of the government’s 100 per cent transition programme.
The government, he added, has released Sh8 billion to improve infrastructure in primary and secondary schools.
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