The top performer in this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination has scored 436 out of 500 marks, a 13-mark drop from last year’s 449.

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The announcement was made on Thursday by CS Fred Matiang’i during the release of the results at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Nairobi.

According to the CS, the top candidate would not have been placed among the top ninety (90) candidates in last year’s KCPE examinations.

“I wish to mention that the performance of candidates in this year’s examination was slightly lower than that of 2015,” he observed as quoted by KBC TV.

The number of candidates with more than 400 marks decreased by 31 per cent to 5,190 compared to 7,560 last year.

In the results that were out earlier than expected, girls performed better than boys in language subjects – English, Kiswahili and Kenya Sign Language – while boys performed better than girls in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies and Religion.

A total of 942,021 candidates sat the 2016 KCPE examination. Of these, 49.7% were girls and 50.3% boys.

Matiang’i said the gender composition has comparatively remained the same over the last three years.

“The analysis of candidature trends by gender in the last three years indicates that the percentage increase in the number of girls has consistently been higher than that of boys over this period” said the CS.

23 counties registered more girls than boys in the KCPE Examination.

The counties are: Mombasa, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Machakos, Kitui, Embu, Meru, Makueni, Nairobi, Trans Nzoia, UasinGishu, Nakuru, Kericho, Nandi, ElgeyoMarakwet, Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisii and Kisumu, Nyamira.

Earlier at State House, the CS briefed President Uhuru Kenyatta on the 2016 KCPE results.

Matiang’i was accompanied by Kenya National Examination Council Chairman Prof. George Magoha, Education Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang, Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer Ms Nancy Macharia and Mrs Mercy Karogo of the Kenya National Examination Council.

Individual candidate results can also be accessed by sending a candidate’s index number through a Short MessageService(SMS) to 22252

Head teachers will be required to download and print the on-line results slips for candidates in their schools and authenticate them before they are released to parents, guardians or candidates.