Over 200,000 students who would have sat the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination are missing four years after completing their primary school education, raising questions about the government’s push for 100 per cent transition.

While the government insists that all Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates transition to secondary school, the number of students sitting for the KCSE tells a different story—one of consistent decline.

Data analysed by The Standard from the past three cohorts of student reveals that over 568,000 learners who joined secondary schools under the 100 per cent transition policy have disappeared from the education system. This trend casts doubt on the policy’s implementation, and highlights challenges in retention the real-life struggles of Kenyan families.