NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 9 – Male candidates outperformed their female counterparts in most science, technology and technical subjects in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, highlighting persistent gender gaps in STEM-related learning.
According to results released by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos, boys posted higher mean scores than girls in 11 subjects, the majority of them in science and technical disciplines.
The subjects in which male candidates recorded stronger performance include Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, History and Government, Geography, Business Studies, as well as technical courses such as Building Construction and applied sciences.
Education officials say the trend reflects long-standing structural and social factors that continue to shape subject selection, confidence levels, and exposure to technical learning, particularly at secondary school level.
Sciences remain male-dominated
While overall female candidature surpassed male candidates nationally, boys continued to dominate performance in core STEM subjects, particularly Mathematics and the natural sciences, which are key gateways to engineering, technology and applied science careers.
Performance between male and female candidates was comparable in Physics, as well as Computer Studies, suggesting gradual narrowing of gaps in some technical areas.
The 2025 KCSE results showed improved performance overall, with more candidates qualifying for university and tertiary education compared to 2024. A total of 993,226 candidates sat the examination, making it one of the largest KCSE cohorts on record.
Education officials say bridging the gender gap in STEM remains a priority as the country seeks to align education outcomes with national development and industrialisation goals.
Overally, Female candidates once again outperformed their male counterparts in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, reinforcing a growing trend of girls excelling academically in national assessments.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos said girls not only outnumbered boys for the second consecutive year, but also posted stronger mean score performances in several key subjects.
Out of the 993,226 candidates who sat the examination, 501,214 were female compared to 492,012 males, representing 50.46 per cent and 49.54 per cent respectively.
“This is the second year in a row since the inception of KCSE that female candidates are more than male candidates,” Migos said during the release of the results in Eldoret.
Strong performance
According to data released by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), female candidates recorded better mean scores than males in six subjects, including English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Home Science, Christian Religious Education (CRE), and Art and Design.
Education officials said the trend reflects sustained investments in girl-child education, improved retention, and targeted interventions aimed at keeping girls in school.
While female candidates led nationally, regional data showed variations. Fourteen counties recorded significantly higher female candidature, including Kiambu, Nairobi, Kisumu, Kakamega and Meru.
Conversely, 10 counties, largely in arid and semi-arid regions such as Wajir, Mandera and Garissa, recorded significantly higher male candidature, highlighting persistent regional gender disparities in access to education.
