NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Chief Executive Officer Dr David Njengere and former Gatoto Primary School headteacher Margaret Kimani have been summoned to court to explain how about 300 candidates caught up in a dispute over the school’s status will be allowed to sit their examinations.
The two are expected to appear before Justice Gregory Mutai on September 29, 2026, as the court seeks a solution to the registration crisis affecting the learners.
The dispute arose after Gatoto Primary School was changed from a public to a private institution, creating difficulties for some candidates who have been unable to register for their examinations or complete the required subject-selection process.
Court Seeks Solution for Affected Candidates
Lawyers appearing in the case told the court that the immediate priority was to ensure the affected learners are registered and allowed to sit their examinations despite the dispute over the school’s administration and status.
The concern has been heightened by the fact that the subject-selection window has already closed.
Lawyer Danstan Omari told the court that approximately half of the affected candidates had already registered and selected their subjects, while the remaining learners had not completed the process.
The court was urged to prioritise the candidates’ welfare and prevent the administrative dispute from disrupting their examinations.
Dispute Over Examination Credentials
At the centre of the disagreement are examination-registration credentials previously held by Kimani.
Lawyers differed over whether the credentials could be surrendered or transferred following changes to the school’s administration and status.
One side argued that the credentials were attached to the institution, while another maintained that they were issued to an individual official and could not simply be transferred.
The latter position was linked to concerns over examination security and data protection, with counsel arguing that the credentials could not be moved without following the applicable safeguards.
KNEC Asked to Break Registration Deadlock
Lawyers told the court that KNEC would play a central role in resolving the impasse and determining how the affected candidates could be registered and allowed to sit their examinations.
One proposal presented to the court was for KNEC to facilitate the registration of the learners through Gatoto.
Another option was to have the candidates registered through another public school and sit their examinations under that arrangement.
The proposals are intended to provide an immediate solution while the broader dispute over Gatoto’s status and administration continues.
Gatoto’s Change of Status Causes Problems
The court heard that Gatoto had historically served as an examination centre, but the change from a public to a private institution created difficulties in registering candidates through the public-school system.
The resulting administrative uncertainty has left some learners unable to complete examination-registration requirements.
Lawyers urged the court to separate the immediate examination needs of the candidates from the wider dispute over ownership, administration or institutional status.
KNEC Boss, Former Headteacher to Explain
Following the submissions, Justice Mutai summoned Njengere and Kimani to appear in court and provide clarification on the registration and examination arrangements for the affected candidates.
