A 38-year-old mother in Jomvu, Mombasa County, was arrested by police after refusing to allow her Grade 6 daughter to sit her Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exams because the pupil’s national assessment number contained the digits ‘666’.
The incident unfolded on the second day of the national examinations at High Step Academy, inviting intervention from local security and education officials.
Biblical arguments
When the Grade 6 candidate failed to report to the examination centre on Tuesday morning, the school headteacher Bakari Mweruhe alerted local education officers and police to investigate the candidate’s whereabouts.
When the security team led by Jomvu Sub-County Police Commander Celina Chirchir arrived at the family’s home, they found the young girl locked inside a room. The mother openly admitted to holding her daughter back, citing her Christian faith and arguing that the presence of ‘666’, a number associated with the “Mark of the Beast” in the Biblical Book of Revelation, made the assessment satanic.
Despite attempts by officers and community members to reason with her, the mother stood firm in her refusal, using religious teachings to defend her actions and insistence on keeping her daughter home.
Police intervention
To safeguard the child’s academic future, officers breached the locked door, rescued the pupil, and safely escorted her to the examination centre in time to sit scheduled papers.
The mother was taken into police custody and transported to Jomvu Police Station.
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