MPs want fresh audit over KCSE irregularities

Northern Kenya MPs have called for a fresh audit into the exam irregularities that led to the cancellation the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) tests in the area.

Addressing a news conference at Parliament buildings Thursday, Mohammed Affey and Sofia Abdi Noor (nominated) said the region was up in arms at the “irresponsibility” of the Kenya National Examinations Council.

They said Knec was acting out of “malice” and “mischief” in the way it had handled the matter.

“We believe there was no cheating. There was a surprise of success,” said Mr Affey.

“Perhaps the students did very well and someone was surprised that they had overcome their history of poor performance.”

The MPs contend that Knec “erred” in cancelling the exams over cheating, “yet it ought to have stopped the cheating at the invigilation level or guard against exams leakage”.

“Where was the intelligence desk at the Knec when this occurred?” posed Mr Affey, who insisted that the whole area –Mandera, Garissa and Wajir—had produced almost one-third of the exam cheats.

“It is not possible for students in Mandera and those in Ijara, a distance of over 1,000 kilometres to be accused of cheating in a similar fashion,” Mr Affey, who comes from Wajir said.

“We insist on a fresh forensic independent audit of the results to convince us that there was no mischief,” Mr Affey said.

Ms Noor said there were many demonstrations in the region with the irate parents of the affected former candidates up in arms because their “sacrifice” had amounted to nothing.

“It there was a leakage, whose mistake is that? It is not the mistake of the innocent candidates or parents. If at all there was something, why didn’t they stop the exams? We ask the Knec to be responsible. We’ll not accept the reasons that they’ve given. It is very painful,” said Ms Noor.

Ms Noor said the region has been trying hard to lift itself out of ignorance and the cancellation of exams had put a dent on the march to literacy.

The highest number of schools involved was from Garissa county (18). Mandera came third with 14 schools involved, while Wajir was fifth with 8 schools involved. She said such a verdict from a whole region had exposed the weaknesses of the country’s examination system.

“It is wrong to punish parents, who despite the drought, they stood with their children to ensure they went to school,” Ms Noor added.