A state of disbelief and uncertainty gripped the 2023 KCSE candidates after reports emerged of alleged alteration of their grades on the KNEC portal.
Reports indicated that top-performing students found themselves with unexpectedly lower grades, while those who had struggled suddenly saw a remarkable improvement.
However, the Kenya National Examinations Council has said it has rectified the technical hitch that saw alterations of candidates' grades in the just concluded KCSE results.
"There was a technical hitch that has since been rectified and the same results have been sent to the school portal. Those are the actual results and principals can download them," a KNEC official told the Star on Phone.
The unexpected turn of events led to heated debates, inquiries, and a sense of chaos within the academic community.
The situation was so worrying that some parents demanded that the Ministry of Education come clear and explain the mishap.
“There is a problem with the portal. The morning results are different when we downloaded,” a conversation in one of the WhatsApp groups for parents of a top school reads.
“We just hope it is corrected before it messes our kids’ future."
Some of the parents who have shared their disappointments about it claim results for their children started changing a few hours after assessing the system to check the results.
“A concerned parent has shared with me some disturbing news that the KNEC portal has been infiltrated and the hackers are changing the results,” reads another post.
A candidate at Mang'u High School who is among those affected is said to have celebrated an impressive A-grade early in the day only to find a different grade in the afternoon.
The student and the family were puzzled to find that the A(minus) he had changed to a B+.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Monday said of the over 9,000 candidates who registered for but failed to sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, the ministry has managed to trace only 2,000 candidates.
Data from the Kenya National Examination Council shows that some 9,354 candidates failed to sit for the 2023 KCPE exams.
This means the whereabouts of some 7,000 candidates remain a mystery.
“Since the number so far located is small to warrant a national examination, it has been decided that the 2,000 candidates join Form 1 starting January 15 and be allowed to sit qualifying examinations later,” Machogu said during the release of the KCSE results at Moi Girls High School, Eldoret.