MORE than 800,000 pupils who sat for KCPE examination will get their results today, Kenya National Examination Council boss Paul Wasanga said in a statement yesterday. A majority will be the second batch to benefited from free primary education under President Kibaki.

The programme which is touted among the successful projects of President Kibaki has seen enrollment doubling from 800,000 in 2002 to the current 1.9 million. He said Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo will make the announcement at Mtihani House off Denis Pritt Road in Nairobi at 9.30am.

Wasanga said results will be available on its website www.knec.ac.ke and candidates can also get their results by sending their index numbers in SMS form to the number 5052 after the announcement of the results. "Candidates who were involved in any form of irregularities will have their results cancelled," he said in the statement.

KCPE results are usually released at the end of each examination year. The delay in the release of last year's result was caused by a three-week long strike last year by public school teachers who were demanding a salary increase. As a result, the KCPE exams were rescheduled to give the pupils a chance to make up for time lost in the strike.

In 2011, Christine Muthoni and Martin Irungu were the top students. Christine Muthoni sat her KCPE from Tender Care Junior Academy School in Komarock Estate, Nairobi, while Irungu did so from Moi Educational Centre also in Nairobi with each scoring 442 marks out of a possible 500.

In previous years, student performance was based on how the provinces fared but counties are now being rated since 2011 due to the new constitution. During that year, Kirinyaga was ranked first followed by Nandi, Makueni (three) Uasin Gishu (four) and Busia (five).The last five counties were Kilifi, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kwale and Tana River in that order.