This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
On November 18, 2019, Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results were released, sparking anxiety among candidates and their parents. The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) provided an SMS code for parents to access the results in real-time, but at a cost of Ksh25 per message.
With over 1.08 million candidates sitting the exam, the shortcode 20076 was flooded with requests, resulting in millions of shillings being made by KNEC. A spot-check by Business Today revealed that most people who sent the text did not receive the results on the first trial and had to send multiple requests, incurring additional charges.
Assuming an average of two texts sent per candidate, the total revenue generated by KNEC would be approximately Ksh54.17 million. However, if we subtract the standard charges levied by service providers, the actual revenue would be around Ksh48.75 million.
The government has never accounted for this money, and it is unclear where it goes. The council's website lacks audit reports and tender documents showing how the SMS service was procured.
With the introduction of technology, the release of exam results has become faster, but the system still fails, forcing many to resort to the money-minting SMS system. KNEC's actions raise questions about the council's accountability and transparency.
