A recent opinion poll by Ipsos indicates that a majority of Kenyans have expressed trust in the 2016 KCSE results. According to the survey, 77% of Kenyans without children in secondary schools have approved of the form four exam results, stating they were "very confident" of the results and that they were marked correctly.
Another 14% said they were "somewhat confident" about the results, while 9% said they had no confidence at all in the way the results were marked. Additionally, 75% of those with a child in high school approved of the results.
The survey, which involved 2,057 respondents and was conducted between January 9 and 26, 2017, also found that 78% of Kenyans agreed that the 2016 KCSE results were worse compared to those of the previous year.
Broken down by region, the opinion poll showed that 90% of Nairobi residents believed the results were worse, followed by 89% of Nyanza residents. In Central, 83% of the residents also said the students did very poorly in 2016 compared to 2015, while in North Eastern, 80% were of a similar opinion.
The results, released by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i in December 2016, saw only 141 students scoring straight As, compared to previous years where thousands attained the grade. Furthermore, more than 30,000 candidates scored grade E, the highest in recent history of the form four exam.
Although Matiang'i was praised for the credible results, there were reactions from various stakeholders who insisted the exams should be remarked. The Ipsos survey also showed that 48% of respondents wanted the results audited.
