666 Registration Number Prevents KPSEA Candidate from Sitting for Exam

Police have detained a woman accused of preventing her child from sitting the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) over claims that the candidate’s examination registration number, 666, was satanic.

The mother objected to the number, arguing that it conflicted with her religious beliefs and could expose her child to harm.

The mother’s attempt to address the media was cut short after police officers arrested her as she defended her decision to stop her daughter from sitting the KPSEA examination over the registration number 666.

“My child is being told to sit an examination, yet the assessment number is 666, which is forbidden in the Bible,” the woman said as officers took her into custody.

The incident came to light on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 after the pupil, a candidate at High Step Academy, a private school in Jomvu, in Mombasa County failed to report for the second day of the national assessment, raising concerns among school officials.

The school’s headteacher, Bakari Mweruhe,  alerted education authorities and security agencies, prompting investigations into the child’s whereabouts and circumstances.

A multi-agency security team led by Jomvu Sub-County Police Commander Selina Chirchir subsequently visited the family’s home, where officers reportedly found the child locked inside a room.

The officers were forced to break down the door to gain access to the pupil, amid the mother’s continued objection to the examination registration number.

Police remarks

Police then rescued the child and escorted her to school to continue with the assessment. She was  granted additional time to complete the examination.

Authorities have also launched investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, including concerns raised about the mother’s alleged religious beliefs and whether the child had been subjected to any form of mistreatment.

“This morning, the examination papers were taken to the centre. When they arrived, the local administrators called me at around 10 a.m. and informed me that there was a child who had been locked up and denied the opportunity to sit the examination because the mother had rejected the child” Selina chertir

“I asked the local administrator why the mother had refused to allow the child to go to school. He told me that the child had been assigned index number 666, which the mother considered satanic”

“I told him to open the door and informed him that I was on my way. I then contacted officers from the Education Department and the Children’s Department, and we proceeded to the location.”

Further accusations

Juliet Ndhiwa, a relative of the woman, has called for further investigations, alleging that the mother has previously refused to take her children to hospital when they fall ill and tends to avoid contact with neighbours.

The have raised concerns about the welfare of the family’s five children, with child rights organisations reportedly condemning the incident and calling for measures to protect all the minors as investigations continue.

Authorities are expected to establish the full circumstances of the incident and determine whether further action is warranted.