Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo considers himself a success story despite his less-than-stellar performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
Currently serving as a CNN Africa correspondent, Madowo reflected on his extensive travels in 2023 while contemplating his KCSE results.
In his introspection, Madowo disclosed that he visited 27 countries worldwide last year, totaling 45 foreign trips. He candidly admitted to achieving a mean grade of B- in his KCSE exams, revealing that his academic performance was deemed so unsatisfactory that he faced pressure to repeat Form 4.
In a social media post, Madowo shared, “I ‘failed’ KCSE but I did 45 foreign trips last year – 27 countries. My B- in the national exam was so bad I was getting pushed to repeat Form 4! Mtu asikupimie hewa” (Translation: “Don’t let anyone measure your worth”).
Madowo’s transparency about his academic journey aligns him with other public figures who have openly discussed their KCSE grades despite facing academic challenges.
Madowo’s remarks coincided with Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s announcement of the 2023 KCSE results. Speaking at Moi Girls High School in Eldoret on January 8, 2024, Machogu revealed that 899,453 candidates had undertaken the 2023 KCSE exams.
Highlighting gender parity achievements, Machogu noted that 50.09% of candidates were male, while 49.91% were female. Impressively, 201,133 candidates achieved the minimum university entry grade of C+.
However, Machogu expressed concern over the significant number of candidates—48,174 in total—who attained a mean grade of E, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to support students across the academic spectrum.
