The Linda Jamii group, led by Prof Fred Ogola, is advocating for a complete recall of the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, citing allegations of irregular moderation.
In a media address on Tuesday, Ogola claimed that the moderation of the 2023 results was manipulated to reduce government spending on university funding.
The group asserts that the government aimed to limit the number of students progressing to tertiary education to slash university funding by Ksh67 billion. Consequently, only 201,133 students attained the entry mean grade of C+.
The lobby group also raised concerns about a significant rise in the number of students scoring Grade E in the 2023 exams. The figure surged from 30,822 in the previous year to 48,174, marking a 56% increase.
Ogola questioned the delay in releasing these results, implying that exceptional student performance prompted the moderation at State House. He further alleged that by deliberately causing a 52.4% failure rate, the government aimed to save Ksh67.8 billion out of the Ksh128 billion allocated for higher education funding.
Errors and discrepancies in results
While the government is yet to respond to these assertions, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu defended the 2023 results, attributing the grading system to a new approach that relied on students’ best subjects. Machogu highlighted the benefits of the new grading system, emphasizing its potential to offer more career opportunities to candidates.
However, the CS expressed concern over the significant number of candidates receiving grade E and urged education stakeholders to investigate this matter further.
Moreover, students, such as those from Oruba Boys in Migori County, have voiced dissatisfaction with the 2023 results, citing irregularities in the grading. They have called upon the examination council to reevaluate their papers after a majority received D grades.
Additionally, the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) faced accusations of releasing results with errors. Some students reported discrepancies in their grades when downloading their slips multiple times.
Parents in previously top-performing schools have also cried foul after the results of their children were withheld. Results of candidates from Nyambaria High, Cardinal Otunga, and little-known Matinyani Secondary in Eastern were marked ‘W; implying that they have been withheld by the examinations body pending further review.
KNEC is yet to respond to the call for the recall of the results.
