Quit over exam leaks, Kaimenyi told

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and the national examinations council boss should quit over examination leaks, teachers have demanded.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) said both Prof Kaimenyi and Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu should take responsibility and resign following the massive leaking of Form Four examination papers.

Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion on Sunday said the examinations agency should be overhauled, with staff transferred, to stem exam leaks in future.

“Kaimenyi should resign and own up. The Knec CEO should also go, and the examinations should also be suspended for three weeks,” Mr Sossion told the Nation by phone.

However, the council has ruled out the possibility of suspending the national exams, with officials putting on a brave face in spite of extensive evidence of cheating.

Critics said the integrity of the exams had been compromised, and hence the need to push the tests to early next year.

The Knut leader accused the CS of “manipulating” Knec, saying that had led to a lack of independence at the agency.

He also claimed that the Education ministry and Knec officials could be leaking the papers in a bid to have a good reason to scrap the final Form Four examinations.

“They want to have grounds to scrap KCSE exams. We are suspecting that there is this kind of strategy,” said Mr Sossion.

LEAKED PAPERS
He said Knec had failed to print emergency papers due to lack of funds after the government scrapped examination fees.

An emergency paper is one given to students in cases where the original examination is tampered with.

Mr Sossion spoke as details emerged of how teachers were helping students revise for the Form Four exams using leaked questions.

Some school heads could be abetting cheating by ordering teachers to coach the students using the leaked question papers.

A teacher from a secondary school in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, told the Nation how she was approached by students who wanted her help to answer particular questions for a language paper.

“Unknowingly, I discussed the questions with them hours before the examination but was shocked to see exactly the same questions we had tackled earlier appearing in that day’s exam”.

In Vihiga, another teacher said he was also approached by students early in the morning before the start of a mathematics paper to help with specific questions.

He, however, did not assist them as he feared he would be accused of taking part in exam cheating.