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PRESS STATEMENT FOR RELEASE OF THE 2020 KCSE

EXAMINATION RESULTS BY THE CABINET

SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, PROF.

GEORGE A. O. MAGOHA, EGH, AT THE KNEC MITIHANI

HOUSE, DENNIS PRITT ROAD, NAIROBI, ON MAY 10,

2021
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• Chief Administrative Secretaries; Dr Sarah Ruto,

Mumina Bonaya & Hassan Noor Hassan
• Principal Secretaries: Dr Julius Jwan, Margaret
Mwakima, Alfred Cheruiyot & Amb. Simon
Nabukwesi;
• Teachers Service Commission CEO, Dr Nancy Macharia
• Chairperson, KNEC, Dr. John Onsati;
• Acting CEO, KNEC, Ms. Mercy Karogo;
• KNEC Council members;
• Members of the Press;
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning,
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I am excited to welcome all of you to this event of

celebrating the results of our 747,161 candidates who
sat the 2020 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education
(KCSE), just three weeks since we gathered here to
release those of the Kenya Certificate of Primary
Education (KCSE) Examination, on April 15, 2021.

After looking at the impressive results that have been

posted by our KCSE 2020 candidates, and taking into
account the most trying environment in which they
prepared for this examination, I am compelled to
describe their show in one apt sentence: They fought
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their battle with resilience and ended it with grace.

Indeed the candidates navigated one challenge after
the other in a manner that has now left all of us with
mirthful faces.

We have our God to thank for all these blessings of

success and wonderful children who have defied the
COVID-19 pandemic to shine in their examinations.
We have God to thank for giving us a wonderful and
wise H. E. President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who has
invested a lot in the education sector of our country
and is always making our children the first priority of
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his leadership. The President’s guidance over the past

one year as we sought to reorganise the academic
calendar to ensure that candidates sat the national
examinations on time was not only first-class but also
most appreciated.

I cannot forget my Cabinet colleagues Dr Fred

Matiang’i and Joe Mucheru who lead the Ministries of
Interior and National Coordination of Government and
ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs respectively. The
three of us have efficiently coordinated the Multi-
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Agency Examination Monitoring Team that has over

the last five years run a credible examinations system.

I also wish to thank all school teachers led by Teachers

Service Commission CEO, Dr Nancy Macharia for
working tirelessly to ensure that we prepared
candidates for the 2020 KCSE Examination so well
that they have done even better than the 2019 cohort.
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PROGRESSION IN CAREER TRAININGS AND HIGHER

EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Thanks to the well-coordinated education sector. The

2020 KCSE candidates whose results we are releasing
today can now join TVET institutions, TTCs, medical
training institutions and universities at exactly the
same time as they have always done, the effects of
COVID-19 notwithstanding. This way, we have
managed to release the candidates to higher
institutions of learning on time and with great
precision.
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I assure all our KCSE candidates who will receive their

results today that they have a bright future – one full
of hope and shorn of despair.

All the candidates have a place in our education story.

Our Government has ensured that every child in our
country has a place to pursue a career, and everyone
deserves a chance. We believe no insignificant child
has been born in our country and we must not leave
any learner behind. The Government has a duty to
nurture each of the learners to pursue their dreams
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regardless of how low they start to the very top of the

academic ladder. We believe in this dream, which is
indeed what our Competency Based Curriculum is all
about.

I am therefore proud to announce that we have

created opportunities for academic progression for all
the 747,161 who sat the 2020 KCSE examinations.
Already, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central
Placement Service (KUCCPS), whose CEO Dr. Agnes
Wahome is here today, has identified that our
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universities, colleges and TVET institutions have

places for all candidates.

All these institutions have disclosed their capacities of

enrolment ahead of the selection exercise of the 2020
KCSE examination candidates, which I have instructed
that it starts immediately.

The Placement Service is engaging with higher

education regulatory bodies – Commission for
University Education (CUE) and the Technical and
Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA)
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– to ensure that all learning institutions are prepared

to enrol these candidates. This is in line with the
Ministry of Education’s goal of providing fair and
balanced access to quality and relevant higher
education and training and H. E. the President’s policy
of 100% transition.

I have directed KUCCPS to ensure proper public

mobilisation and communication campaigns are put in
place to ensure all interested candidates apply to
colleges and TVET institutions of their choice.
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I therefore wish to declare that all the candidates who

sat the examinations in 2020 have the ability to
progress to other levels under the Government’s plan
of zero wastage and 100 per cent transition. This
explains why the Government of His Excellency Uhuru
Kenyatta has spent enormous resources to expand the
TVET sector.

For instance, the number of TTI’s in each constituency

has grown from 52 in 2013 to 233 in 2021. Out of the
233 TTI’s: 52 are fully operational; 140 have been
built, equipped, staffed and operationalised (four of
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them catering for TVET SNE candidates) and 41 are

under construction.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2021 KCPE AND KCSE

In a bid to make up for the time that was lost during

the prolonged closure last year, we deliberately
created a tighter academic calendar that enables us to
accelerate the completion of school terms. Schools
that have opened for the 2020 Third Term today are
expected to close on July 10, 2021 and proceed on a
one week holiday break. All the classes, including the
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new Grade 5 learners and Form One Class, will start

the First Term of the 2021 academic year on July 26,
2021.

The upshot of this accelerated calendar will be that we

will have FIVE examinations next year. The 2021 KCPE
and KCSE will be held in March 2022. In December
2022, we will administer the 2022 KCPE and KCSE, and
also the Grade Six Summative Examination for the
pioneer CBC Cohort.
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We are therefore about to come face-to-face with a

historic examinations season next year, which means
that we must start preparing for the five examinations
immediately. I therefore wish to urge all our
stakeholders and the Multi-Agency Team on
examinations to tighten their belts and prepare to
confront the five impending examinations. Yet I know
rising up to such challenges is the Team’s stock-in-
trade.
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ELIMU SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME APPLICATIONS

The Ministry of Education opened the door to

applications for the Government’s 9,000 scholarships
under the Elimu Scholarship Programme until 31st
May, 2021.

I am informed that the number of candidates applying

for the scholarships has been increasing on a daily
basis. I encourage all the needy and vulnerable 2020
KCPE candidates to apply for the scholarships whose
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selection is conducted by the Equity Group

Foundation.

We have ensured that 30 per cent of all the slots will

go to urban slums and informal settlements. I
encourage all candidates who attained 280 marks and
above in the 2020 KCPE Examinations to apply. For
affirmative action, candidates who are Orphans
and/or from Vulnerable Communities and those with
special needs and disabilities who attained below 280
marks may be considered.
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THE 2020 KCSE EXAMINATION CANDIDATURE

During the 2020 KCSE Examination, 747,161

candidates sat the examination compared to 697,222
candidates in 2019. This represented an increase of
49,939 candidates (6.68%).

Of the 747,161 candidates who sat the 2020 KCSE

Examination, 380,327 were male while 366,834 were
female, representing 50.90% and 49.10% of the total
candidature respectively.
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Fifteen counties had more female than male

candidates in the 2020 KCSE examination compared
to 17 counties in 2019. The 15 counties were: Taita
Taveta, Kwale, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kirinyaga,
Murang’a, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Meru, Nandi,
Elgeyo Marakwet, Kakamega, Vihiga and Kisumu.

The counties with high gender disparity in favour of

male candidates during the 2020 KCSE examination
included Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Turkana and Homa
Bay. I have asked the Directorate for Quality
Assurance and Standards to investigate the cause of
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the low female candidates representation in these

counties.

Turkana county had the highest percentage of over-

age candidates (1,603: 0.213%) while Bungoma
county had the highest percentage of under-age
candidates (1,344; 0.179%).

SUBJECT PERFORMANCE IN 2020 KCSE

EXAMINATION

In the 2020 KCSE Examination, 19 subjects recorded

a significant improvement in performance, compared
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to 16 subjects that recorded a significant

improvement in performance in 2019.

There was no significant change in performance in two

of the subjects offered during the 2020 KCSE
examination.

OVERALL GRADE ACHIEVEMENT IN THE 2020 KCSE

There were 893 (0.12%) candidates who obtained an

overall Grade A in the 2020 KCSE Examination
compared to 627 (0.09%) candidates in 2019. This is
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one of the clearest indicators that candidates have

performed better in 2020 compared with 2019, the
negative effects of COVID-19 notwithstanding.

The number of candidates with minimum university

entry qualification of Grade C+ and above rose to
143,140 (19.03%) in the year 2020 KCSE Examination
compared to 125,746 (18.02%) in 2019.

All the remaining candidates are legible to join TVET

institutions, Teacher Training Colleges, Medical
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Training Colleges and other tertiary learning

institutions for various courses.

OVERALL NATIONAL GRADE SUMMARY FOR 2020

G A A- B+ B B- C+ C
TOT 893 6420 14427 25207 38194 57999 85458
% 0.12 0.85 1.92 3.35 5.08 7.71 11.36
CUM 893 7313 21740 46947 85141 143140 228598
CUM 0.12 0.97 2.89 6.24 11.32 19.03 30.39
%
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G C- D+ D D- E
TOT 109454 117898 121942 137361 28046
% 14.55 15.67 16.21 18.26 3.73
CUM 338052 455950 577892 715253 743299
%
CUM 44.93 60.60 76.81 95.07 98.80
%
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CANDIDATES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

There were 223 (11.93%) candidates who obtained

an overall grade C+ and above in 2020 KCSE
examination compared to 127 (7.65%) candidates in
2019.

MOST IMPROVED KCSE CANDIDATES WITH KCPE

SCORES AS THE BASELINE

When I released the 2019 KCSE Examinations results,

I disclosed a list of candidates who had made the
greatest improvement in their academic abilities
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based on their KCPE scores. Our decision then, as it is

now, was to try and explain the fact that candidates
who score low marks in the KCPE can still do well in
the KCSE given the right environment, teaching and
learning.

This move now appears to have motivated even more

candidates who scored lowly at the KCPE four years
ago to even do better in the 2020 KCSE.

I am, therefore, even more emboldened this year to

name a few candidates who have turned out from
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what many label KCPE “flops” to KCSE stars. We must

celebrate them and remind all Kenyans that no child is
a failure. Some of these stars include:
1 47817101107 HASSAN ABDULLAHI M B- 168 WAYAM SECO. (Extra
OSMAN County)
2 25508118002 CHERUIYOT BETT DENNIS M B- 190 KIMARGIS SEC (Sub
County)
3 23574109119 MALUTI TOM MITI M B- 199 ST.TERESA'S SEC. BIKEKE
(Sub County)
4 32581303010 KIPEES SIOMIT CHARITY F C+ 151 OLDERKESI SEC. (Sub
County)
5 32581303016 SADERA SEMPEYO SHALVIN F B- 168 OLDERKESI SEC. (Sub
County)
6 46820103017 KAMAR ABDULLAHI JIMALE F B- 163 HABASWEIN MIXED DAY
(Sub County)
7 47800005248 MUSHARAF KEROW ADAN M C+ 140 MANDERA SEC.
(National)
8 46808104071 ABDULLAHI DAUD MAALIM M C+ 137 ADEMASAJIDA MIXED
DAY (Sub County)
9 46808102050 RUWEITHA ABDIKADIR F B- 193 HON KHALIF GIRLS SEC
HASSAN (Extra County)
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10 32581303026 SIOLOLO PARMAARI JOSEPH M B- 186 OLDERKESI SEC. (Sub

County)

The lesson from this radical positive KCPE

improvement recorded by candidates with low
academic achievement at the KCPE level is that the
Government’s 100 per cent transition that allows all
candidates to progress to secondary school is indeed
a game changer. If we can sustain the policy over the
years, then we stand a chance of saving many
academic lives of our children who would otherwise
have fallen by the wayside on account of failing a
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KCPE examination that is administered early in their

lives.

MOST IMPROVED SCHOOLS BASED ON MEAN KCPE

OVERALL CANDIDATES’ SCORES

In the same spirit of illustrating that schools can add

value to student cohorts, I now name some of the
schools that admitted candidates with lower KCPE
mean scores but did a commendable job at improving
their overall mean performance to inspiring levels.
These are:
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SN Code School Name Category Entry KCPE KCSE

Perf. Perf.
Index Index
1 15304102 KAAGA GIRLS' Extra 37 22.38 73.98
HIGH County
2 23503111 ST JOSEPH'S Extra 71 21.22 71.57
GIRLS' - KITALE County
3 13354101 KISASI Extra 27 20.43 68.25
SECONDARY County
SCH.
4 41731303 ORIWO BOYS Extra 24 31.07 78.72
HIGH SCH. County
5 40727101 RIOKINDO Extra 68 18.13 65.23
HIGH SCH. County
6 44736101 ST JOSEPH'S Extra 42 31.12 77.78
RAPOGI County
7 20404006 LIGHT Private 50 30.15 76.74
ACADEMY
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SN Code School Name Category Entry KCPE KCSE

Perf. Perf.
Index Index
8 40735101 MOI GESUSU Extra 23 27.16 70.89
HIGH County
9 41710305 SAYE MIXED Sub County 25 26.92 70.09
SEC.
10 40727132 ST.EDWARD County 36 24.45 66.73
NYABIOTO
11 41704006 WIOBIERO Sub County 15 28.08 70.04
SECONDARY
12 19308301 CHUKA BOYS Extra 23 27.34 69.24
HIGH County
13 20406020 STRATHMORE Private 25 28.37 69.57
SCHOOL
14 45806201 BUSHRA HIGH Private 31 22.56 63.51
15 08237012 MAHIGA GIRLS Extra 44 24.18 63.95
SEC. County
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The top 15 OVERALL candidates in the 2020 KCSE are

as follows:

PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
1 10200008105 SIMIYU ROBIN M 87.334 MURANG’A
WANJALA HIGH
2 41710301001 WASONGA M 87.173 AGORO
ALLAN UDOMA SARE HIGH
2 20400003006 SHARON F 87.173 THE KENYA
CHEPNGENO HIGH
TERER
4 11200001085 MORIASI BOB M 87.139 ALLIANCE
B. ONGARE HIGH
5 20400003182 MBUGUA F 87.113 THE KENYA
ESTHER HIGH
WACHUCHU
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PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
6 11200001015 KIPKOECH M 87.106 ALLIANCE
MARK KOGO HIGH
7 29500006101 KENNETH M 87.049 KAPSABET
ORANGA BOYS
8 42700005266 HENRY M 87.046 MARANDA
MADAGA HIGH
8 20400003236 CHEPKORIR F 87.046 THE KENYA
PATIENCE HIGH
10 12301702006 MUSOMBA F 87.013 MACHAKOS
EDITH KITHEI GIRLS'
11 20400003157 LESLEY LOISE F 86.999 THE KENYA
WANJIKU HIGH
12 29500006161 PILE RON M 86.970 KAPSABET
GEORGE BOYS
13 42700005008 KIPRONO M 86.949 MARANDA
HOWARD HIGH
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PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
14 20400003073 JELIMO F 86.947 THE KENYA
DEBRAH HIGH
15 20400003138 BULUMA F 86.939 THE KENYA
DAIZY NERIMA HIGH
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The top 15 OVERALL SIXTEEN-year-old candidates in

the 2020 KCSE are as follows:
PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL
NAME INDEX
1 12301702006 MUSOMBA F 87.013 A MACHAKOS
EDITH KITHEI GIRLS'
2 11200001036 MAKADA NICOL M 86.476 A ALLIANCE
PEARLSON HIGH
3 29500006151 MUTABARI M 85.83 A KAPSABET
FRANK BOYS
MUGAMBI
4 29500025021 KIPTOO F 85.789 A ST. JOSEPH'S
GETRUDE GIRLS -
JERUTO CHEPTERIT
5 11200001054 KIPLANGAT M 85.71 A ALLIANCE
GERALD HIGH
6 11200003164 CRAIG M 85.673 A MANGU HIGH
ONYANCHA
MOTURI
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PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
7 11200001035 KIMUNYE M 85.614 A ALLIANCE
DENNIS HIGH
WACHIRA
8 42700005080 BILL CLINTON M 84.979 A MARANDA
JEFFERSON HIGH
9 41700004087 ISABOKE JANET F 84.916 A ASUMBI
KEMUNTO GIRLS
10 08200007213 MOTURI ZETH M 84.906 A KAGUMO
ONGUBO HIGH
11 14300011015 GATERU F 84.804 A SIAKAGO
SOPHIA GIRLS HIGH
WAMBUI
12 31545101044 KITIMBO KEFA M 84.75 A OLOITOKITOK
KATOO SEC.
13 26500001307 RONO SHARON F 84.641 A MOI GIRLS'
JEPKOGEI HIGH
SCHOOL-
ELDORET
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PSN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
14 11200002273 JADEN F 84.631 A ALLIANCE
ANGELLA GIRLS'
15 11200003078 MONDA DANIEL M 84.604 A MANGU HIGH

The top 15 OVERALL SPECIAL NEEDS candidates in the

2020 KCSE are as follows:
SN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL
NAME INDEX
1 26500001225 KIPKEMBOI F 84.886 A MOI GIRLS'
MIRIAM HIGH
CHEPLETING SCHOOL-
ELDORET
2 40700002069 GETUGI EDGAR M 83.566 A KISII HIGH
OMOKE
3 43700008162 NEBERT M 81.414 A- NYAMBARIA
NYARIKI HIGH
ONGUBO
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SN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
4 11207112168 VICTOR M 80.386 A- M-PESA
KIPLANGAT FOUNDATION
5 11205201138 WARUNGE F 80.373 A- ST. ANNE'S
PRUDENCE SEC.
NYAMBURA SCHOOL-
LIOKI
6 42700005336 ONYANGO M 80.341 A- MARANDA
DAVID HIGH
OMONDI
7 18300003155 KYALO M 80.3 A- MAKUENI
FRANCIS BOYS
MUTUNE
8 42721101045 OWINO VERON M 80.267 A- CHIANDA
HIGH
9 10200008036 MWANGI M 80.266 A- MURANGA
JABEZ HIGH
MWANJA
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SN INDEX NO CANDIDATE'S GEN PERF. MG SCHOOL

NAME INDEX
10 20401001086 NGANGA M 80.163 A- AQUINAS
WYCLIFF HIGH
NDIKI
11 42700005101 OMINDE M 80.151 A- MARANDA
MOSES JOHN HIGH
12 20410001241 NZOMO M. F 79.333 A- MOI GIRLS'
GLORIA SCHOOL
NAIROBI
13 08237012216 MWANGI F 78.18 A- MAHIGA
CAROLINE GIRLS
WANJUGU
14 36600004148 KEBIRA M 78.019 A- FRIENDS
NYAKOE KAMUSINGA
ZACHAGRAHAM
15 11207106088 MUSETI M 77.294 A- S.A. HIGH
STANLEY SCHOOL FOR
THE BLIND
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REDUCTION IN CASES OF EXAMINATION

IRREGULARITIES

After four years of a sustained and relentless

campaign to fight the shameful and inexcusable
practice of leaking national examinations, I can now
declare that we have completely eradicated the
menace. Since 2016, we have not recorded a single
case of a leaked examination paper. Our decision to
employ a robust security-led system of delivering
examinations directly to the (examination) containers
before dispatching them to various centres has been
fool proof.
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However, as I have indicated before, we recorded

isolated cases where some people entrusted to
safeguard the examination papers went ahead to open
them in the morning of the actual date of
examinations once they have been dispatched from
the containers. Thanks to our strong security system,
most of these cases, some of which resulted in some
suspect social media posts, were pre-empted and
culprits arrested. Some of these criminals were
unaware that our security systems had the ability to
detect the exact location of opening the examination
papers and even the identity of the mobile phones that
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were used to relay the questions. Thanks to this

elaborate security system, we ensured that the stolen
examination questions did not reach the intended
recipients.

We have also recorded a few cases of impersonation

and collusion in some of the centres, which were
confirmed and punished in line with the KNEC Act. We
are therefore not cancelling examinations for any
centre, other than individual candidates of certain
centres, where we established beyond doubt that they
were involved in examination irregularities.
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We are therefore cancelling individual results of 287

candidates who were involved in the various forms of
cheating as follows:

No Nature of irregularity No of Candidates

2020 2019
1 Unauthorised materials 211 101
2 Mobile phones 45 47
3 Impersonation 01 02
4 Collusion 29 1,158
5 Double script 1 01
Total 287 1,309
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FEMALE CANDIDATES WHO SAT THE KCPE

EXAMINATIONS IN HOSPITALS

In 2020, a total of 652 female candidates sat the KCSE

Examination in hospitals after delivery. Counties that
had the highest number of candidates who sat their
examination in hospitals after delivery included
Bungoma (43), Meru (38), Nakuru (36), Kisii (36) and
Nandi (31).

In 2019, a total of 282 female candidates sat the KCSE

Examination in hospitals after delivery. The counties
with the highest prevalence in 2019 included
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Bungoma (17), Kakamega (16), Meru (16) and

Makueni (16).

We have noted that the number of cases of candidates

sitting the examinations upon delivery went up in
2020 showing that the long school closure due to
COVID-19 may have driven our learners into many
temptations at a time most households were facing
enormous challenges.

As a Ministry, we will work with all the relevant

Government departments to ensure that we focus on
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the worst hit counties to address the root cause of this

perennial problem of teenage pregnancies. We will do
this knowing only too well that addressing this
menace requires a multi-sectoral approach.

More importantly, I wish to urge all parents and

guardians to, more than ever before, offer the greatest
support to our girl child. I particularly wish to call for
greater support and protection for our learners who
sat the 2020 KCPE Examination and are expected to
remain at home until July 26, 2021 when they will join
Form One. These learners require close supervision
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and guidance to protect them from the many

temptations that come from evil men who sexually
prey on them.

ACCESSING OF THE 2020 KCSE EXAMINATION

RESULTS

Candidates should therefore collect their results from

their respective examination centres. Individual
candidates results can also be accessed by sending a
candidate’s index number followed by the initials
“KCSE” through a Short Message Service (SMS) to
20076. This service will be available immediately after
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this event.

It is now my humble duty and privilege to declare the

2020 KCSE examination results officially released. I
wish all candidates success in their future endeavours.

PROF. GEORGE A. O. MAGOHA, EGH

CABINET SECRETARY,
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION.

MONDAY, 10th MAY 2021