Investigate what lead 3,000 students not to sit for KCSE, Ruto orders

NAIROBI, JAN 8 – President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Education to launch an investigation into the absence of approximately 3,000 students who registered for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) but did not appear for the exams

The president issued this directive during a briefing by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, ahead of the highly anticipated release of the examination results on Monday, January 8.
The 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams were marked by several significant moments, including a new grading system, increased security measures, and a larger number of candidates.

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A total of 899,453 candidates sat for the exam with 450,554 being male and 448,899 were female. A total of 1,216, candidates managed to score an A grade, 201,133 students attained a C+ and above. 526,222 got a D+ and above and 48,174 scored an E.

New Grading System

The 2023 KCSE exams saw the introduction of a new grading system aimed at increasing the number of students joining universities. The new grading structure was unveiled in August and focused on candidates’ strengths.

In the new grading system mandatory subjects, Mathematics and one language (English, Kiswahili, or Kenyan Sign Language), will be used to compute the mean grade.
Examiners will also be required to pick five of the best-performed subjects from a candidate.
Increased Security Measures

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The government implemented new guidelines to curb cheating and ensure the integrity of the exams.
These measures included changing the mode of collection of national examination papers and increasing the number of invigilators and supervisors.

TSC suspends principal of school that topped 2022 KCSE

In November, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) suspended Charles Onyari, the Principal of Nyambaria High School, from his role as the Centre Manager following allegations of involvement in examination malpractices.