The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has defended itself against accusations of systemic failure following the crash of its KCSE results portal shortly after the release of the 2024 results on Thursday, January 9. The crash occurred moments after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba announced the results, sparking anger among Kenyans eager to access them.
KNEC attributed the downtime to an unprecedented surge in web traffic, with the portal receiving up to 300,000 hits per second. This year, the Ministry of Education implemented a major shift, designating the KNEC portal as the sole platform for accessing results, different from previous years when results were available via an SMS code. The change intensified demand on the system, leading to its temporary failure.
KNEC reassured the public that the portal was restored within minutes and is now fully operational. The council urged patience, assuring Kenyans that all candidates would eventually be able to access their results.
Record Candidate Performance
Education CS Ogamba revealed that 962,512 candidates sat for the KCSE in 2024. Of these, 1,693 candidates earned grade A, up from 1,216 in 2023, marking a notable improvement in performance. Additionally, 246,391 candidates scored C+ or higher, securing direct university admission, while 476,889 candidates earned grade C-, and 605,774 received grade D+.
However, KNEC nullified the results of 840 candidates over exam malpractice and withheld the results of 2,899 others, pending investigations expected to conclude within a month.
The 2024 KCSE results reflect a significant improvement in academic performance compared to the previous year, despite the controversy surrounding the portal’s downtime. The Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing access and transparency in result dissemination, while KNEC promised to upgrade its systems to handle future demand spikes.
