On Friday, January 9, 2026, the Ministry of Education officially unveiled the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, marking a significant milestone for nearly one million learners.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba presided over the release at AIC Chebisas High School in Eldoret, noting that 993,000 candidates completed their exams last year, a slight increase from the previous cohort. This group represents one of the final cycles of the 8-4-4 system as Kenya transitions fully to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Transitioning to digital access
In a departure from traditional methods, the Ministry has discontinued the use of SMS shortcodes for results.
Candidates must now access their provisional results exclusively through the KNEC official portal at results.knec.ac.ke.
To view their performance, students are required to:
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Enter their full index number.
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Input any one of their registered names.
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Accept the privacy and access notice before searching.
Academic performance and top achievers
The 2025 results show a marked improvement in high-level performance. A total of 1,932 candidates secured the coveted Grade A (Plain), up from 1,693 in the 2024 cycle. National schools continued to dominate this bracket, producing 1,526 of these top grades.
While the Ministry has moved away from ranking individual students to reduce cut-throat competition, the data highlights several key trends:
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University eligibility: Approximately 270,000 candidates attained a mean grade of C+ and above, the minimum requirement for direct university entry.
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Gender parity: In a historic win for access to education, girls accounted for exactly 50% of the total candidature.
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Day school success: Over 72,000 students from public day secondary schools qualified for university, proving that regional and sub-county institutions are becoming increasingly competitive.
Next steps: placement and certificates
For the successful candidates, the journey now shifts toward higher education and professional training.
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University and college placement: The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) is expected to open its portal shortly. Students will use their results to apply for degree, diploma, and certificate courses across public and private universities, as well as TVET institutions.
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Certificate collection: To address schools’ withholding of documents over fee balances, the Ministry has introduced a new policy: final KCSE certificates will now be collected from Sub-County Education Offices rather than from the candidates’ former schools.
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Result queries: Any discrepancies must be reported through school heads within 30 days. After this window, KNEC will charge a fee for processing any queries.
