A Grade Six learner in Mombasa was nearly prevented from sitting her national assessment after her mother reportedly locked her inside their home, objecting to the number assigned to her by examination authorities.
The girl was eventually rescued and allowed to join other candidates after police intervened, following a report from her school that she was missing from the examination room.
According to Jumvu Subcounty Police Commander Selina Chirchir, the mother told officers she had confined the child because her assessment number contained the digits 666, which she associated with the devil.
The incident unfolded as learners across the country continue with the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), the national assessment taken by Grade Six pupils.
Chirchir said police received a report from the school after the learner failed to appear for her examination.
Officers contacted the mother, who reportedly confirmed that the girl was at home and had been locked inside because of her assessment number.
When officers arrived at the home, the mother initially refused to release the child.
Chirchir said police were preparing to break down the door when the mother spoke to the girl from inside and she opened it.
“The mother spoke to the child inside the house, and when she realised we were about to break down the door, the child opened it and came out wearing her school uniform,” Chirchir said.
The mother then reportedly instructed the girl to return inside and remove her uniform. Police intervened, allowing the child to dress and leave for the examination centre.
The learner was subsequently taken to sit the assessment, while her mother was detained at Mikindani Police Station, according to Chirchir.
The incident brought together the school, police and members of the family as they sought to ensure the girl could sit the assessment.
Why have you given the child a satanic number?
As the incident drew attention, the mother attempted to explain her objection to the assessment number to journalists while at the police station.
“My child is supposed to sit an exam with an assessment number 666, and it is written in the Bible,” she said, defending her concern about the number.
The school’s headteacher, Bakari Chiboya, said the matter came to his attention after a teacher contacted him about the mother’s objection.
“The teacher called me and said the mother was asking why we had given the learner a satanic number. I told her that we had not given the child a satanic number; those were the assessment numbers issued by KNEC,” Chiboya said.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) administers national examinations and assessments, including the Grade Six KPSEA.
Chiboya’s account indicated that the dispute arose from the mother’s interpretation of the number rather than a decision made by the school to assign a religious or symbolic meaning to it.
Family says concerns had arisen before
The cousin to the girl's mother said the family had previously disagreed with the mother over the child’s welfare and whether she should attend school and sit the assessment.
She alleged that the mother had resisted taking her children to hospital when they needed medical attention. She also said the mother had previously questioned whether the girl needed to sit the assessment.
“We have struggled with this mother for a long time because she does not take her children to hospital. We had a disagreement before when this child needed to be taken to hospital, and she refused, saying her children do not go to hospital,” she said.
She said she had also tried to persuade the mother to allow the girl to sit the assessment due to the number.
She said she eventually sought help from the local elder, who joined the family in speaking to the mother.
According to her, the mother had agreed that the child could sit the assessment after those discussions.
Assessment underway across the country
The incident occurred as the 2026 KPSEA is ongoing, which began on Monday, October 26, and is scheduled to run until Wednesday, October 28.
The assessment is administered by KNEC to Grade Six learners under Kenya’s competency-based education system.
It is taking place alongside the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), taken by Grade Nine learners, whose papers run until Friday, October 30.
1,380,463 candidates were registered for KPSEA this year, while 1,206,028 were expected to sit KJSEA, bringing the combined number of candidates for the two assessments to more than 2.58 million.
The assessments are part of a wider national examination period that also includes the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
KCSE oral and practical papers began on October 19, while the main written examinations are scheduled to run from November 2 to November 20.
The mother remained in police custody at Mikindani as of the according to the police commander.
