KCPE is an abbreviation for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, a certificate awarded to students after completing the approved eight-year course in primary education in Kenya. The examination is supervised by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), an examining body in Kenya under the Ministry of Education. The same body also conducts and regulates the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), a certificate awarded to students after completing secondary education. KCPE and KCSE were both started in 1985 when the 8.4.4 system of education was introduced in Kenya. The maximum mark is 500 but that is virtually impossible due to the standarization (cutting off some marks in each subject). This exams are used to determine the high school in which every student goes to.
The subjects examined include Maths, English, Swahili, Social Studies, Science and Religious Studies( Christian/Islamic/Hindu)
It's worth noting that Social Studies includes a bit of Kenyan History, Civil education and all the Religious Studies
The exam time runs from the second week of November and takes four days only. Marking of written scripts (that is the Swahili Insha and the English Composition) is done over the December holidays. Results are then announced by the Minister for Education some 3 or 4 days after Christmas day.