Lobby group now claims Gov’t moderated 2023 KCSE results to save Ksh.67B

A lobby group has now alleged that the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results were moderated to ensure the government saves more than Ksh.67 billion capitation to sponsor university students.

Linda Jamii wants Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to withdraw the results on grounds that they lack integrity.

The group also wants the government to investigate why over 48,000 students scored grade E.

The group’s leader Prof. Fred Ogolla told a media conference on Tuesday that they believe the results were moderated to ensure many students fail to achieve the C+ university cut-off mark so that they can join Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

“Out of the Ksh.128 billion shillings allocated to fund higher education, by making students fail, 52.4 per cent failure means that they are going to save Ksh.67.8 billion,” Prof. Ogolla said.

The lobby group says President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government promised that everyone would get free university education, alleging that they’re hence under pressure to get only a certain number to universities.

“Has the government explained why there was a delay in releasing these results? They were supposed to be released last year. It is because when the results came out, the students performed very well that they took these results to be moderated at State House,” Prof. Ogolla added.

He said having the majority of candidates failing to attain grade C+ and above is a sign that the government and the education system have failed.

In the results released Monday by CS Machogu, of the 899,453 candidates, 201,133 students attained above C+. Another 92,612 attained a C, 107,471 scored C-, 125,006 D+, 155,276 D and 165,861 scored D-.

There was however a large number of candidates who scored grade E (48,174), to which CS Machogu called for a probe.