"Preparation pays": Babu Owino fires back at critics over 90% KCSE prediction accuracy

Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has strongly defended his online KCSE revision program, dismissing allegations that his remarkably high prediction accuracy is the result of leaking examination papers.

The controversy erupted following the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. Owino maintained that 90 percent of the topics covered in his free virtual revision sessions appeared in the actual national tests.

“90% of what we revised was tested, and our predictions were 90% accurate. If you followed everything I taught you, you should get an A plain, even without attending a single class. Preparation pays!” Babu Owino stated.

The MP’s claims drew sharp criticism from several political figures who questioned how anyone could achieve such high accuracy.

Former Nairobi County Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria voiced concern over the matter, calling on the Ministry of Education to investigate potential examination leakages.

Mosiria argued that it is deeply disturbing for politicians to access and revise identical questions prior to national assessments, only to market them later as accurate predictions.

Owino hit back sharply at Mosiria’s remarks, dismissing his critic's competence:

“I know you have ice cream brain cells that melt under pressure. No wonder you struggle to understand predictions.”

Nairobi politician Robert Alai also weighed in, drawing comparisons between politicians distributing examination predictions online and schools allegedly purchasing illicit exam papers.

“What’s the difference between this and schools purchasing exams? We now might just have politicians getting access to exams and then sharing with everyone online,” Alai remarked.

In response to Alai, Owino argued that the core difference between them stemmed from their respective intellectual capabilities rather than the content of their public statements.

Owino’s virtual teaching initiative is not a recent development. The program began in 2020 as a response to widespread school closures and learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the MP expanded his academic support initiatives, focusing heavily on challenging subjects like Mathematics and Chemistry.

Ahead of the 2026 national examinations, Owino announced a series of free online Mathematics revision sessions on October 23, 2026.

The structured classes officially kicked off on October 25 at 7:30 pm, guiding candidates through both Mathematics Paper 1 and Paper 2. His syllabus covered complex topics including algebra, matrices, differentiation, binomial expansion, trigonometry, logarithms, and practical chemistry concepts.

The debate has polarized social media users and observers.

Many students and parents have strongly defended the MP, arguing that veteran educators can accurately anticipate exam trends by analyzing historical KNEC patterns and syllabus requirements.

Supporters emphasized that teaching students how to dissect recurring problems in topics like matrices and commercial arithmetic is fundamentally different from possessing stolen exam sheets. Conversely, critics maintain that the uncanny precision of the predictions warrants formal scrutiny from regulatory bodies.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Act enforces strict legal and administrative penalties to curb examination malpractice and maintain integrity:

Section 27 of the KNEC Act: Punishes individuals found guilty of unlawfully possessing examination papers or confidential content with a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to KSh2 million, or both.

Section 28 of the KNEC Act: Imposes a prison term of up to five years, a fine of up to KSh1 million, or both, for the unauthorized disclosure of examination questions.

Administrative Measures: KNEC retains the authority to take strict administrative actions against candidates linked to irregularities, including canceling affected results or withholding them pending ongoing investigations.