MPs in protest over KCSE results cancellations
There were protests across the country on Thursday over cancellation of KCSE exam results, with some MPs and parents calling for a fresh audit by the national examinations council.
Up to 3,000 students were affected with counties in northern Kenya accounting for more than 1,000 of them. In Garissa, for example, only two schools were not affected. (READ: 2,900 denied results over cheating)
On Thursday, MPs from the region called for a review of the cheating cases. They demanded an immediate release of the withheld results.
Nominated MP Sophia Abdi Noor said the students had been punished wrongly and unfairly.
Many of those affected in the region were girls in whom she had personally invested so much in their education, she said in Parliament.
Education minister Sam Ongeri was asked to issue a ministerial statement on the matter next week.
Ms Noor said the Kenya National Examinations Council, and not the affected students, were to blame.
“The buck stops with Knec and we demand the release of the results immediately and the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Paul Wasonga,” she said.
“It is wrong to punish poor students for a leakage that was not of their making. Knec must be held accountable,” said Ms Noor.
Mr Mohammed Affey, another nominated MP, supported her saying the students were innocent.
“Some of the schools that are accused of colluding are located nearly 1, 000 kilometres apart. Knec must carry out a forensic audit of the results,” he said.
In Garissa, hundreds of students whose results were cancelled took to the streets in protest.
And Garissa Knut executive secretary Ibrahim Atosh said they will move to court to contest the cancellations. In Garissa, only two schools were unaffected in the entire county.
Mr Atosh called for an overhaul of the national examination body accusing it of inefficiency. At Mandera Secondary school, results for all the 106 candidates were cancelled.
The school’s Parents/Teachers Association Vice chairman, Mr Hussein Ibrahim Abdi, accused the Ministry of Education and Knec of unfairly targeting bright candidates from the province with the intention of denying them university education.
“This is deliberate sabotage to ensure our children do not join universities ... We are going to the High Court to sue the Minister for Education and the examinations council,” Mr Abdi threatened.
In western Kenya, results for 179 candidates in Kakamega and Bungoma counties were cancelled. Kivaywa secondary in Matete district, with 145 out of 195 candidates affected, had the highest number.
Western provincial examination officer Omar Masimba said were was collusion in the Biology paper.
Other schools affected were Marobo and Sichei in Bungoma central district, Chebukube in Cheptais, St Joseph’s Academy and Kamaeti secondary in Bumula district and Kaimosi Boys in Vihiga County.
At Marobo, a candidate found himself in trouble for extracting pages from the Mathematics Alternative A paper question paper in contravention of the exam regulations.
Fifteen candidates at Chebukube were accused of collusion in the Maths paper while three candidates at St Joseph’s Academy were caught with prepared notes while writing the History and Geography papers.
At Kamaeti and Sichei, two candidates were found with prepared notes in Biology and History/Geography papers.
Mr Masimba said results for several other students who had failed to provide the registration details to the examination body had been withheld.
The candidates have until end of this month to provide the details to the examination body. In Nairobi, some candidates from 15 schools did not receive their results.
Nairobi Provincial Director of Education Mary Omondi said most of the candidates had been affected due to impersonation.
“This makes us unhappy because we warn students but they do not listen,” Ms Omondi said in a telephone interview.
Of the 53 cases, four were from Huruma Girls High School while Lavington Mixed Secondary School had one. Others were St Mary’s Academy (1), Temple Road High School (4) and Arya Girls Secondary School (2).
Some 23 candidates in Nairobi were caught colluding with their colleagues and teachers.
They were from Ananda Marga Academy (8), Friends Ofafa Jericho (8), and Church Army Community Centre - Private (1) and Metrological Department Private (6).
Of the cases affected, Kenya Muslim Academy (8), Soweto Baptist High School (4), Embakasi Nairobi- Private (1) and St Michael’s Holy Unity Academy (3) were caught with prepared notes in the examination rooms.
However, two students from Brightstar High School were discovered to have had prior access to the Christian Religious Education paper beforehand.
Other papers which were affected were: Chemistry, Kiswahili, Mathematics, History and Government, Biology, Islamic Religious Education and Arabic.
Across the country, 2,927 candidates in 154 schools had their results cancelled due to cheating.
On Wednesday, Knec boss Paul Wasanga said the use of mobile phones in exam centres was the greatest challenge they were facing in curbing irregularities.
In Elgeyo Marakwet, 10 candidates had their results cancelled at Chebara Boys secondary.
District Education Officer Christopher Chebiegon said eight of the candidates cheated in computer studies while two failed to sit their exams.
At Monianku secondary school in Gucha South, results of 42 candidates of the 89 registered were withheld. The exams council cited collusion in Mathematics paper.
At Bombaba secondary school, three candidates had their results cancelled after they were caught with prepared notes during the Geography paper.
In Nyamache district, two candidates out of the 16 enrolled at Nyacheki Academy secondary school had their results cancelled over impersonation.
Similarly in Kisii County, one candidate at Senior Chief Musa Nyandusi (Kegati) secondary school had the result cancelled due to irregularities.
At St Stephen’s High school, four candidates missed their results due to impersonation.
Reported by Lillian Onyango, Alphonce Shiundu, Caroline Wafula, Jackline Moraa, Bernardine Mutanu, Benson Amadala, Philemon Suter and Issah Hussein
