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By Shaban Makokha
Kakamega County, Kenya: A moment of anticipated pride has turned into panic, frustration, and despair for Juma Abdallah Salim, a visually impaired teenager whose future hangs in the balance after failing to access his Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results.
While the first cohort of Competency-Based Education (CBE) learners transitioned to Senior School pathways in December 2025, Juma, from Amukura in Busia County, remains in limbo two months later. Without his results, he cannot join Grade Ten.
Juma, who attended Koyonzo Special School for the Visually Impaired in Kakamega County from Grade One through Nine, sat for the inaugural KJSEA last year. When results were released by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, repeated attempts to retrieve his results via the official portal failed.
Initially attributing the problem to technical glitches that frustrated many candidates, Juma and his family now face a wall of bureaucratic indifference.
His father, Abdallah Juma, recounts futile visits to the local education office and calls to the school head teacher, Catherine Washiali, who promised to follow up with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) but has provided no resolution.
The family’s direct appeal to KNEC took a shocking turn. “We called the customer care number from their website,” said Mr. Abdallah. “After waiting a day for a callback, they told us to pay ten thousand shillings to receive the results.”
This demand contradicts KNEC’s initial instruction that queries be lodged through school heads within 30 days of release, with heads submitting formal complaints via Sub-County education offices.
The desperate family traveled to Koyonzo School, only to be referred to the Matungu Sub-County Education office. There, they found offices empty, with officers attending a meeting in Kakamega and unresponsive to calls.
Juma, now 18, lost his sight in Standard Four. After years out of school, a Good Samaritan helped him enroll at Koyonzo. He had hoped his results would be his ticket to a better future.
“I hoped for over 85 points to join Grade Ten. My dream is to become a lawyer and defend those whose rights are violated,” Juma explained.
That dream is now fading. With his father unemployed and the family living in poverty, Juma depended on scholarships for Senior School. “I have already missed five scholarship opportunities because I have no results to submit,” he said.
His appeal is simple and heartbreaking: “Until when will I stay at home? I plead with KNEC to release my results so I can join my colleagues. They say disability is not inability. Am I being punished for being blind?”
The 2025 KJSEA results introduced an eight-level achievement system, moving away from traditional marks. While the Ministry confirmed all candidates, including those with special needs, participated, no specific data was released for this group.
A Contrast in Fortunes
In a stark contrast within the same region, over 500 children from Matungu constituency who faced exclusion from Senior School due to fees have received a lifeline. Area MP Peter Nabulindo allocated Sh50 million from the NG-CDF for bursaries, ensuring they can now enroll.
“My first priority is education. No child from Matungu should sit at home for lack of fees,” said MP Nabulindo, who has also commissioned new classroom buildings to improve learning environments.
As these students find relief, Juma’s plea echoes unanswered, a stark reminder of a system failing its most vulnerable at the very threshold of their advancement.
