Education CS Ezekiel Machogu Announces Audit of KCPE Exam Results

An investigation will be conducted to examine the inaccurate results of the 2022 Standard Eight national exams that were received by some candidates via the SMS platform.

The anticipated timeframe for the publication of the results arising from this extensive inquiry is slated for two weeks. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has informed Parliament members that he has already made contact with Eliud Owalo, his counterpart in the Information, Communication, and Digital Economy sector, to commence the forensic audit and provide a comprehensive report. In his appearance before the National Assembly Committee on Education on Thursday, Mr Machogu provided insight into the numerous inconsistencies in the transmissions of the 2023 KCPE by the contracted mobile telecommunications company during his visit to the National Assembly Committee on Education.

The audit to be conducted will underscore the underlying reasons for these inaccuracies, with a heavy emphasis on pinpointing the cause to ensure the delivery of precise and reliable results. Mr Machogu acknowledged the inconsistencies in this year's grading system. One of the most frequently reported issues involved candidates receiving grades without the necessary plus (+) or minus (-) symbols. During his statement before the Members of Parliament, Mr Machogu further confirmed the inconsistencies related to identical marks received through SMS messages. Notwithstanding, he underlined that these disparities were not evident in the formal results on the KNEC web platform or in printouts released to respective schools.

During his testimony, Mr Machogu emphasized that the SMS code service charge had been established following the standard premium rates for similar government services. Additionally, he informed MPs that this fee had been agreed upon with the service provider. Although he acknowledged that the forensic audit would tackle the problems identified with the SMS platform, the MPs were insistent that a thorough and complete review of the 2023 KCPE outcomes is necessary.

This entails scrutinizing cases where candidates were awarded marks for subjects they did not actually sit for, addressing the concerns of candidates who received incorrect marks, reimbursing parents who were charged for SMS messages containing inaccurate results, and thoroughly examining instances where candidates from specific schools received identical marks in a particular subject.