A Catholic priest has called for counselling for a family in Jomvu following an incident in which a mother allegedly prevented her daughter from sitting the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) after the learner was assigned an assessment number containing 666.
Reverend Father Dr. Richard Ooko Airo, parish priest of St Joseph Tudor in Mombasa, said the mother should not be condemned without first understanding what influenced her decision.
The learner had already sat the Monday papers when her mother allegedly prevented her from attending the assessment centre on Tuesday, the second day of the national examination.
Police intervened and took the learner to school to sit the Tuesday papers, with the final papers scheduled for Wednesday.
Speaking about the incident, Father Airo said the number 666 is referenced in the Book of Revelation, where it is associated with the beast, but cautioned against automatically treating the number as dangerous in everyday life.
“If at all 666 is demonic, which I don’t know anything about, because that was a beast described in the Book of Revelation, I’ve walked, I’ve moved in countries, I’ve travelled far and wide, I’ve not seen 666 anywhere in the current world we live.”
He said fear surrounding religious interpretations could make people vulnerable to manipulation, particularly when misinformation is presented as religious teaching.
“Anything you call a religion, if it is to harm the other person, I’ll call it a cult. That’s not religion.”
Father Airo said difficult economic conditions could also make people more susceptible to individuals offering false hope or exploiting their fears.
He urged Kenyans to remain sober and seek professional or informed guidance before making decisions based on claims they may not fully understand.
“Let’s be sober at this moment. Nobody is finding it easy, not as a country, not as a continent, not globally.”
The priest said the response to the Jomvu case should focus on helping the family rather than simply blaming the mother.
“Let’s not overjudge the woman.”
“Personally, I would like to appeal to the government, the county government, our governor, our very able governor, to come in and offer counselling sessions to this family, the whole family, the husband, the children, the family.”
Father Airo also warned that cases involving extreme interpretations of religious teachings could increase as economic pressures continue to affect communities.
He urged the public to question claims that provoke fear and to seek professional assistance where beliefs begin to interfere with important aspects of life, including children’s education.
