Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu’s announcement of the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results through an SMS code turned into a fiasco as candidates and parents faced difficulties accessing the information due to technical issues.
The SMS code, requiring candidates to send their index number followed by “KCPE” to 40054, was intended to provide immediate access to individual results upon release.
However, despite users sending the code and being charged Ksh25 per SMS, they received a response stating, “Dear Customer, the KCPE 2023 results are not available. Kindly try again later after the announcement.”
Expressing frustration, a parent criticized the Education Cabinet Secretary, Safaricom, or ICT systems for the delay in the online release of results, asserting that an apology was owed to the KCPE candidates.
The non-functional code resulted in anxiety, disappointment, and unnecessary stress for both students and their families, especially during this crucial period.
The parent emphasized the importance of proper preparation and testing to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience for students.
They called for accountability, stating that technical issues causing such avoidable mishaps should have been resolved by technicians before the official release.
Despite continued attempts, candidates were still unable to access their results for hours. In the afternoon, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) issued an apology, acknowledging technical issues with their system.
The statement read, “We apologize for the delay in accessing KCPE 2023 results. We will update you once they are available on 40054.”
Machogu advised candidates to collect their results from their respective examination centers. Headteachers were directed to obtain the KCPE results for their schools from sub-county education centers and also download and print their students’ results from the KNEC online portal at www.knec-portal.ac.ke.
The incident highlights the need for improved systems and procedures to prevent such disruptions in the future.
By Roy Hezron
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