On November 20, 2018, the Kenya National Examinations Council released the KCPE results and confirmed that Hassan Wanini Mvurya, the son of Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya, was the top performer from the Coast region with 440 marks out of 500.
Hassan sat the exam at Likunda Primary School in Ukunda, giving Kwale and the wider Coast region a rare regional headline in a year dominated nationally by private-school candidates.
The best candidates countrywide were Olive Mwea Wachira of Riara Road Primary in Nairobi and Rawlings Odhiambo of Kakamega Hill School, both with 453 marks. They finished two marks behind Goldalyn Kakuya of St Anne’s Junior School, Lubao, in Kakamega, who had led the country in 2017 with 455 marks.
Other high scorers included Victor Momanyi Mogusu of Emmanuel Springs Academy in Makueni with 452, Leonard Asanga of Moi Primary School, Kabarak, with 451, and Ashley Wambui Mwangi of Kutus Municipality Primary School in Kirinyaga County with 447. Joshua Angwekwe of Rudan Junior Academy and Njue Chantal Njeri of Thika Road Christian School each scored 446, while Ryan Kipkurui Ngetich of Whitestar Academy and Sharon Namikoye Namisi of Tender Care Academy each had 445. Njagi Ronnie Gathuku of Effort Junior School, Kerugoya, scored 444, and Alvin Gikunju of PCEA Kahawa Sukari, Debra Gakii of Kathigiri Boarding and Hilary Muriungi of Fred’s Academy in Meru County each scored 442.
Coast schools also featured strongly among the top-performing institutions. Memon Academy, Aga Khan Primary and Nyali Primary School in Mombasa were among the leading schools, alongside Mtwapa Elite Academy in Kilifi, Busy Bee Academy, Light Academy, St Kevin Schools, Sheikh Zayed Primary and Light Academy in Mombasa. Mwatate Junior School in Taita Taveta, Bethany Academy in Kwale and Dzikunze Primary in Kilifi also posted strong results.
Nationally, performance improved compared with the previous year. A total of 12,273 candidates scored 401 marks and above, up from 9,846 in 2017 and 5,143 in 2016. Those who scored 301 marks and above rose to 228,414 from 217,307 in 2017 and 207,141 in 2016. The number of candidates who scored below 100 dropped to 2,177 from 2,360 in 2017 and 6,747 in 2016.
The results also showed that special-needs candidates continued to perform well, with the top scorer in that category posting 446 marks, compared with 426 the previous year.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the tighter controls introduced to curb cheating were paying off. She said only four candidates had their results cancelled for irregularities after being found guilty of impersonation during monitoring exercises.
“We stepped up measures against cheating, starting with pre-examination monitoring in the second term. As a result, most of the would-be cases of cheating were prevented.
“However, during the monitoring exercise, our vigilant teams discovered four candidates guilty of impersonation. These four will have their results cancelled,” she said.
She also said the 2018 KCPE showed improvement over the 2016 low point, adding that the tougher regime introduced in 2016 had pushed teachers and pupils to focus more on genuine preparation.
The quick release of the results, in under three weeks, reflected the Kenya National Examinations Council’s push to speed up marking and clean up the examination process. In earlier years, KCPE results were often released after Christmas, about two months after the exams and more than a month after marking. That delay, officials said, had created room for grade manipulation and exam theft by rogue Knec officials.
The reforms were part of broader measures begun in 2006 under then Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to strengthen the credibility of national examinations.
Form One selection was set to begin on December 3, with successful candidates expected to report to secondary school in January. Unlike in previous years, the selection would be done once, without a second round.
Gender trends in the 2018 exam showed that girls continued to close the gap in access and completion. Of the 1,052,364 candidates who sat the test, 525,070 were girls, representing 49.90 per cent, while 527,294 were boys, or 50.10 per cent. Girls outnumbered boys in 23 of the 47 counties, including Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Nakuru, Bungoma, Siaya, Kisii, Kitui, Embu, Kisumu, Tharaka Nithi, Uasin Gishu and Kericho.
Even so, boys still led overall performance in mathematics, science, social studies and religious education, while girls did better in English, Kiswahili and Sign Language.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the ministry would audit school infrastructure to establish the real state of facilities and guide future investment in equipment and resources. He said many primary schools remained in poor condition despite funding through the free schooling programme introduced in 2003, with some pupils still learning under trees or in roofless structures.
Officials also flagged the 8,347 candidates who did not write the exam. Although that was a 14 per cent drop from 9,726 the previous year, it remained a concern because it could point either to dropout or to double registration linked to cheating.
Knec chairman George Magoha said exam cheating was now history and warned that anyone still hoping to beat the system had no place in the current arrangement, where a multi-agency team was guarding the process. He praised teachers for what he called “a superb job” in preparing learners and said the new environment had forced schools to abandon shortcuts.
