KCSE results to be released Tuesday

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi. He will release last year's KCSE results in Mtihani House in Nairobi where provincial directors of Education will collect the results for their respective regions after the release. PHOTO|DIANA NGILA|FILE

What you need to know:

  • Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi will release the results in Mtihani House in Nairobi where provincial directors of Education will collect the results for their respective regions after the release.

Over 450,000 students who sat their Kenya Certificate of Secondary education will know their results on Tuesday next week.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi will release the results in Mtihani House in Nairobi where provincial directors of Education will collect the results for their respective regions after the release.

Candidates will still access their results by logging onto the council’s website www.knec.ac.ke by keying their index numbers, Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) secretary Paul Wasanga has said.

They will also receive results by sending a short text message (SMS) including the candidates’ index number to 22252 on the mobile phone immediately after Prof Kaimeyi announces the results.

“Upon receipt of the examination results, thoroughly scrutinize the results for correctness and ensure accuracy of, the names, index number, and gender, school name and code,” read the communique, “ and any discrepancy noted on the examination results should be communicated to KNEC as a query within one month from the date of release of the examination results.”

Candidates who would want their papers remarked should also lodge a complaint with the examiner within a month after release of the results.

Those who will miss out on their results are advised to check with their respective school heads and not with the examination council.

“Candidate with withheld or pended results will receive a letter through the respective head teacher explaining why the examination results have been withheld or pended.

Required documents must therefore be submitted by June 2014 through respective schools and not directly to the Council,” it read.

Those whose results will be cancelled due to cheating will get the communication from their school heads.

“Candidates whose results have been cancelled due to any form of examination irregularity will be advised in writing through their respective school head teacher and heads are expected to inform candidates whose results have been withheld or cancelled to avoid a situation, where they travel all the way to the Council.”

Cases of examination cheating rose significantly last year -- from 732 in 2012 to 1,576 in 2013. This is despite a new law that spells out stringent rules and imposes heavy penalties on those caught cheating.

Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) Act, enacted in 2012, provides stiff penalties against those involved in exam malpractices.

Anyone found leaking exam papers and other examination malpractices commits an offence and will be liable, upon conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding Sh1 million, or to both.

Also, anyone caught impersonating a candidate risks serving a jail term not exceeding two years, or a fine not exceeding Sh2 million, or to both. They will also be prohibited from taking an exam conducted by or on behalf of the council for a period not exceeding three years.

Knec boss Paul Wasanga was concerned that cheating had mutated into different forms, including attempts by some school head teachers to bribe invigilators to allow them to give answers to candidates.

Last year, Maseno, Maranda and Alliance High School produced the best three candidates in the country. Seven out of the top ten candidates in last year’s results are currently studying medicine and surgery and the University of Nairobi. The other three are taking up engineering courses.

In the KCSE 2012, Samburu was the best county and was followed by West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet in positions two and three. Siaya was fourth and was followed by Embu in position five.

In the last result release, more than 133,883 candidates obtained grades that make them ineligible to pursue professional certificate courses.

They obtained a mean grade of D plain and below, an equivalent of scoring less than 34 per cent in each of their seven subjects. Overall, 240,963 of the candidates scored a mean grade of C- (minus) and below and of these, 7884 scored a mean grade of E.