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Juliet Otieno emerges top in 2018 KCSE exams

AMINA

Education Secretary Amina Mohamed. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG

Juliet Otieno of Pangani Girls is the best candidate overall in the 2018 Form 4 national exams, results released on Friday show.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said Juliet emerged the best after garnering 87.644 points.

Other top candidates in the tests include Brian Njenga of Mang'u High School, Shirleen Moraa of Moi Girls' Nairobi, Kaluna James of Maseno School and Duncan Kamweru Mwangi of Moi High School Kabarak.

Josephat Kamau Mwangi, who managed 277 marks in KCPE exams, was named the most improved student after scoring a mean score of A – (minus) in the KCSE tests.

Overall, Pangani Girls, Maseno School and Light Academy dominated the list of top 20 candidates.

Other schools whose candidates appeared in the top 20 list were Moi High School Kabarak, Alliance Girls, Mang'u High School, Alliance Boys, Moi Girls Nairobi, Maranda, Kapsabet Boys, Precious Blood Riruta and Nakuru High.

The CS said overall, there was great improvement in performance this year compared to 2017 and 2016.

“The number of candidates who scored the minimum university entry grade, C+ and above, is 90,377 from 70,073 last year,” she said at the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) headquarters on Dennis Pritt Road.

Ms Mohamed said war on exam cartels paid off this year, with six masterminds being arrested. Their cases are ongoing in court.

'What they deserve'

Knec chairman George Magoha said none of the KCSE exam paper leaked, and that “every child got what they deserve”.

However, he admitted that there were attempts to steal the tests once they were handed over to examiners.

He said the biggest threat to exam integrity are parents who give their children money “to buy fake exam papers”.

But while he blamed parents, some teachers have ended up paying the price of exam cheating.

Their employer said five teachers have been interdicted for breaching exam supervision, invigilation and marking rules.

Fifty-seven other cases, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Nancy Macharia said, are still under investigation and will be “expedited”.