This is after Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha announced that seven candidates were found in possession of pre-prepared notes in examination rooms last month.
Further, five cases of impersonation were detected.
However rather than cancel the results of the candidates as has been the norm, Prof Magoha said that the President directed that all results for the 1,179,192 candidates who sat the examination are released.
“The President pronounced himself that we shall release the results of all the candidates but those staffers who allowed this to happen shall be severely punished. As you can see, the President is extremely magnanimous with the children and ours is to obey his directive,” said Magoha.
This even as Prof Magoha said the low numbers of irregularities were due to the government’s robust multi-sectoral examinations monitoring team which either stamped out or nipped in the bud any irregularities before they could happen.
“These measures ensured that cases of irregularities during the sitting of the examinations, and during the marking process, were either stamped out or nipped in the bud before they could happen,” he said.
Consequently, he said all the candidates qualified to be admitted to secondary schools in line with the government’s 100 percent transition policy.
The CS explained that his ministry has already conducted an audit of all new and existing vacancies in all private and public schools to enable admission of all learners under the free day secondary education programme.
“We are determined to work with the relevant agencies to ensure that no candidate misses a place in secondary school,” said the former University of Nairobi vice-chancellor.
“In the meantime, I urge all parents and guardians to take good care of their children so that all of them are able to take up their Form One spaces in the schools that they will be admitted to,” he added.
He said the number of candidates who sat the examinations increased by 95,736 from the 1,083,456 candidates in 2019.
However, the number of candidates who were absent slightly during the examinations increased from 6,272 in 2019 to 12,424 in 2020.
Female candidate numbers increased slightly more than their male counterparts registering 48,868 and 46,868 respectively with the overall number being 590,450 (50.07 percent) for boys and 588,742 (49.93 percent) girls.
According to the data, 20 counties registered more female than male candidates including Isiolo, Meru, Vihiga, Kakamega, Busia, Nairobi, Kwale, Elgeyo Marakwet, Siaya, Tharaka Nithi, Kisii, Kisumu, Bungoma, Kilifi, Lamu, Bomet, Mombasa, Uasin Gishu, Makueni and Migori. This is an increase from 18 counties that registered more female than male candidates in 2019.
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