Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba released the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results on January 9, 2026.
In his speech at A.I.C. Chebisaas Boys Secondary School in Eldoret, CS Ogamba noted that a key driver of the upward performance trend registered is the reviewed grading system, which has been in place since the 2023 KCSE cohort.
“As has been the case since the 2023 KCSE examination, the 2025 KCSE examination results have been graded using the reviewed grading system in which the overall grade at the KCSE examination considers Mathematics, the best-performed language among English/Kiswahili/Kenyan Sign Language, and the best-performed five subjects,” said CS Julius Ogamba.
KNEC computes the overall mean grade based on performance in seven subjects as explained below:
- Two mandatory subjects:
- Mathematics (compulsory for all candidates).
- One language subject (the best performing among English, Kiswahili, or Kenyan Sign Language, if taken).
- Five other best-performing subjects (from the remaining electives the candidate sat for).
The new approach, according to the examination council, focuses on a candidate’s strengths and uses only the highest scores.
This simplified structure replaced the previous approach, which required specific subject clusters and often penalised students for weaker performance in non-core areas, and it allows students’ strongest subjects to contribute more significantly to their final grade, resulting in higher overall means.
New Grading System Effect
The grading system’s impact was evident in the recently released 2025 results, where, out of 993,226 candidates, 270,715 (27.18%) achieved a mean grade of C+ or higher, qualifying for direct university entry.
This performance marks an increase from last year’s 246,391 (25.53%) students who qualified for direct university entry.
Also Read: How to Check 2025 KCSE Results Online and Via SMS
Similarly, the number of candidates attaining at least a C- rose to 507,131 (50.92%), while those with a pass grade (D+ and above) reached 634,082 (63.67%).
The grading system aligns with the broader transition from the 8-4-4 system to Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), highlighting the power of skills and competencies over raw content cramming.
By reducing the number of compulsory subjects in the final computation, the system provides a fair reflection of individual strengths, benefiting students from diverse academic profiles.
2025 KCSE Gender Parity
In the 2025 KCSE examinations, gender parity also featured prominently, with figures showing that female candidates, 501,214, slightly outnumbered males, 492,012, for the second consecutive year.
In performance, the female candidates outperformed males in subjects like English, Kiswahili, and CRE, while males performed better in sciences and technical subjects.
Also Read: CS Ogamba Releases KCSE 2025 Results
The CS also highlighted government efforts to bolster education by recruiting 100,000 teachers since 2023, with 24,000 recruited this year and 25,000 promoted; building 23,000 classrooms in readiness for the first grade 9 transition; planning to erect 1,600 laboratories in 9 senior schools; and timely capitation releases.
As Kenya phases out the final 8-4-4 cohorts, this reviewed grading system has proven instrumental in the expansion of access to higher education, ensuring more students can pursue university or TVET pathways based on their true potential.
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I did my exams and I did not get my results I got p now am asking why are they pending and I paid 7200 for private candidate through my school principal so she did not pay to the knec