Every year in Kenya, until the 8-4-4 system lapses and CBC takes over, students in their final years of compulsory schooling participate in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. This exam is administered by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) at the end of the four-year secondary education cycle when students are in Form Four.
In the 2024 KCSE, 965,512 candidates sat for their tests. Each student was required to take a minimum of seven subjects from the 30 offered by KNEC across 10,755 centres nationwide. Among these candidates, 480,310 were male, while 482,202 were female.
The results of the examinations, released this week, provide some evidence that the country’s new grading standards are improving student performance. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba stated that more students are graduating from high school, and more students are earning the rigorous grades above C+ needed to qualify for university in Kenya.
> How to Check KCSE Results 2024 Free
The number of candidates who scored a C+ and above, and who therefore qualify for direct entry into university, was 246,391 in KCSE 2024, an increase of 18% from 2023.
“A total of 46,889 candidates attained a C- (minus) and above, representing 49.41%, while those with D+ (plus) and above were 605,774, representing 62.76%,” said CS Ogamba.
The highest grade a high school student can achieve in KCSE is an A, corresponding to between 81 and 84 points. The Kenyan grading system typically uses letter grades, with A being the highest and E the lowest.
Top performers in KCSE 2024
In 2024, 1,693 students achieved a mean grade of A (Plain), the highest grade in the KCSE, compared to 1,216 students in 2023. The 2023 cohort was the first required to pass the standardised tests in two of the three compulsory subjects: English, Kiswahili, and Mathematics.
Here is a list of some of the top-performing students:
| Rank (Unordered) | Name of student | KCSE grade | School | County? |
| 1 | Kenny Levin Kimaru | A | Moi High School Kabarak | Nakuru |
| 2 | Mark Kibet | A | Kapsabet Boys | Nandi |
| 3 | Elvis Kipchumba | A | Kapsabet Boys | Nandi |
| 4 | Terence Oduory | A | Maseno School | Kisumu |
| 5 | Brian Otucho | A | Kapsabet Boys | Nandi |
| 6 | Abdikarim Shire | A | Kapsabet Boys | Nandi |
| 7 | Aguet Bior Kongor | A | Makueni Girls | Makueni |
| 8 | Njeru Edwin Munyi | A | Njiiri School | Murang’a |
| 9 | Obure Ian Nyangau | A | Starehe Boys | Nairobi |
| 10 | Kamau Evelyne Muthoni | A | Kerugoya Girls | Kirinyaga |
| 11 | Ian Kipkemboi | A | Kabianga School | Kericho |
| 12 | Wairimu Ezra Munga | A | Kaplong Boys | Kericho |
| 13 | Wayne John Sanda | A | Alliance High School | Kiambu |
| 14 | Will Emmanuel Isanda | A | Alliance High School | Kiambu |
| 15 | Isanda Onsembe Joseph | A | Baricho High School | Kirinyaga |
| 16 | Wanderi Samson Karanja | A | Anestar Boys | Nakuru |
| 17 | Bokeye Ibrahim Chacha | A | Thika High | Kiambu |
| 18 | Najma Njambi | A | Sheikh Khalifa | Mombasa |
| 19 | Farouk Ali | A | Sheikh Khalifa | Mombasa |
| 20 | Uzair Hussein Ali | A | Sheikh Khalifa | Mombasa |
| 21 | Hamid Ali Moamed | A | Light Academy | Mombasa |
| 22 | Isaac Bundotich | A- | Baringo Boys | Baringo |
“In the 2024 KCSE exams, 7,743 candidates scored an A- (minus) with 4,903 being boys and 2,840 being girls,” the CS highlighted.
Meanscore of Maridadi high school