Jail for exam officials who assist cheats
An invigilator frisks students in Kenya before they enter the examination room: Officials caught assisting candidates to cheat in national exams face a jail term of five years or a Sh1 million fine. Photo/FILE
Officials caught assisting candidates to cheat in national exams face a jail term of five years or a Sh1 million fine.
The stiff penalties are contained in amendments to the Kenya National Examinations Council Act.
Standing in for candidates will earn culprits two years in jail or a fine up to Sh2 million.
Currently, the Knec Act does not prescribe punishment for people who connive with candidates in exam irregularities.
For instance, a supervisor is not answerable to Knec and it can only write to the Teachers Service Commission to ensure such a person is not allowed to supervise exams again.
Results cancelled
But now candidates caught committing exam fraud shall be prohibited from sitting the test for a period of three years, besides having their results cancelled.
Those found counterfeiting certificates and diplomas face 10 years in jail or a fine of Sh10 million.
The Bill comes only a week after new Education minister Mutula Kilonzo told Parliament he would stamp out the malpractice.
“People who assist Kenyans to cheat in exams must be put in jail. It is unfair to students who have their results cancelled while these people get away scot-free,” he said.
Recently, Dujis MP Aden Duale asked Parliament to probe the cancellation of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam results of 3,000 students in Wajir, Mandera and Garissa.
