Moi Primary School Kabarak parent moves to court over KCPE results

Moi Primary School Kabarak. [Courtesy

A parent whose son sat for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Moi Primary School Kabarak, Nakuru, has joined a list of litigants seeking to force the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to remark and re-tabulate the just concluded exams. 

Moses Mbego through lawyer Danstan Omari on Wednesday sued KNEC and Education CS Ezekiel Machogu arguing that the just-released KCPE results were not a reflection of his son's academic ability.  

According to Omari,  there is no plausible explanation for how Mbego's son’s marks were lower than his past performance.

Omari said the examination body was killing the future of candidates, who, he argued, are now lamenting that they did not deserve the marks that were awarded by examiners.

“It appears that the second respondent (KNEC) is, unfortunately, on a firm resolve to damage the future of the Kenyan children,” said Omari.

The lawyer observed that the Nakuru-based institution has in the last three years been among the top-performing schools countrywide.

He asserted that it was strange that the school's candidates' marks suddenly slipped downwards by more than 100 marks.

Omari said that the candidates had been well prepared and had completed the curriculum in time in readiness for the exam. 

In his supporting affidavit, Mbego said that the marking exercise was rushed, adding that the results released had serious anomalies.

“I am dissatisfied with the way my child’s papers were marked in the just released KCPE. I pray that this court takes judicial notice of the uproar by the teachers, students, and members of the general public after the results of the exam were announced as were alleged serious anomalies in the marking of the examinations,” said Mbego.

Separately, parents at Kitengela International School and Set Greenhill Academy have also moved to court citing massive irregularities.

In the case filed by Kitengela International parents, the court heard that the majority of its students scored 400 marks and above in the previous exams. However, the just-released national exams indicated that its students managed 358 marks and below.

The school has written to KNEC lamenting that the results were not a true reflection of what its students had been scoring.

Omari asked the court to stop the form one placement exercise until the case is settled.

“It is a matter of local notoriety that there were widespread irregularities in the 2023 KCPE exams results and thus the integrity of the marking process has been called to question and the prayer to this court is for this honorable court to take judicial notice of the uproar by the teachers, students and members of the general public after the results of the exam were announced as there were alleged serious anomalies in the marking of the examinations,” said Omari.