A review of the computation of mean scores for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination has seen many students attain higher grades and open up more opportunities for higher education.
According to Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) Chief Executive Officer, David Njeng’ere, the results released on Friday have taken the country closer to the “international minimum” of students who qualify for university education in a normal population – where there are no wars, floods, famines, earthquakes, pandemics or other types of disaster.
From left: Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, Education Principal Secretary,Prof Julius Bitok, Kenya National Examinations Council Chairman, Prof Julius Nyabundi, Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer, Dr Evelyne Mitei, and Kenya National Examinations Council Chief Executive Officer, Dr David Njengere, during the release of the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations results held at AIC Chebisaas Boys School in Uasin Gishu County on January 09, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Dr Njengere attributed the good fortunes to a review in calculating mean grades that was introduced in 2023.
“In the new format, we grade candidates using seven subjects instead of eight as was the case before,” he said.
These are mathematics, the best-performed language – English, Kiswahili or the Kenyan Sign Language – and five other best performed subjects.
Since then, the number of candidates qualifying for university admission has been on the increase.
The 2025 KCSE examination results recorded the highest number of university degree-qualifying candidates since stringent reforms in national examinations were introduced in 2016.
At least 270,715 out of the 993,226 candidates who sat the examination attained a mean grade of C+ (plus) and above, qualifying for degree programmes.
This qualification rate exceeds the 25.53 per cent in 2024, 22.3 per cent in 2023, 19.03 per cent in 2022 and 11.3 per cent in the 2017 KCSE tests.
“For the longest time, it has been below 20 per cent. With such an education system, it means you will not be able to get adequate human resource that is trained at the tertiary level to come and help grow the country’s economy,” Dr Njeng’ere said.
He added that the increase in the percentage of students qualifying for university degree programmes indicates that the country is moving in the right direction by following the examples of nations like Zambia (50 per cent) and South Korea at 70 per cent.
Moi Girls' High School in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County's Chief Principal, Juliana Kurui (centre), teachers and students celebrate the school's exemplary performance in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations on January 09, 2026. The school has a mean grade of 9.73, where 33 candidates got an A, and had a 98 percent transition to university.
Photo credit: Wycliffe Nyaberi | Nation Media Group
While there is no single fixed percentage internationally, education policy guidelines and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) reports give broad benchmarks of between 30 and 40 per cent.
The African Union continental Education Strategy 2016-25 encourages 30 per cent of upper secondary students to access tertiary education and training.
“In an ordinary country that is not witnessing war or other calamities, a minimum of 30 per cent should be able to qualify for tertiary higher education,” Dr Njeng’ere said.
In 2016, the Ministry of Education initiated a crackdown on malpractices that had undermined public confidence in national examinations, disbanding the Knec Board and doing away with officials linked to the vice.
Measures such as biometric candidate registration and coordination with security agencies were introduced, alongside restructuring of the examination calendar and a ban on third-term social activities for candidates.
“The number of candidates with direct university entry qualification was 270,715 (27.18 per cent) in the 2025 KCSE examination. This is an improvement compared to 246,391 in 2024,” Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said during the release of the results yesterday.
After the reforms, releasing the results was much quicker.
Alliance Girls High School students celebrate as they carry Charlotte Ivy (left) and Kerina Maureen Kemunto at the institution on January 9, 2026. The two scored A in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Grouup
In addition, Knec revised the grading of examination results three years ago, where only two mandatory subjects are required for computing the mean grade.
At 27.18 per cent rate for those qualifying for university degree courses, Kenya is approaching the recommended international threshold of 30 per cent for secondary school leavers.
Those who did not attain university qualifications can enrol for courses in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to pursue diploma, certificate programmes and artisan courses.
The TVET institutes are scaling up their capacities in readiness for the Competency-Based Education (CBE) learners who are to transition to the tertiary level in 2029.
In the KCSE examination results released yesterday, a total of 11,268 students scored A- (minus) and above, compared to 9,436 recorded in the year before, translating to a 19.4 per cent improvement.
In the 2025 KCSE tests, a total of 507,131 candidates (50.92 per cent) scored C- (minus) and above, compared to 476,889 in 2024.
National schools produced the highest number of candidates with a mean grade A, totalling 1,526, followed by extra county schools with 197 and private institutions with 185.
Sub-county schools produced more candidates with a mean grade C+ (plus) and above compared to county schools, which had 72,699 and 36,600 candidates, respectively.
