UoN lecturer accused of leaking law exams
An aerial view of the University of Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
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UoN School of Law Dean Prof Kiarie Mwaura says the lecturer has since been suspended to facilitate investigations.
The University of Nairobi has set up a committee to investigate claims that a law lecturer leaked end of semester examinations to a third-year student.
The student shared the examination materials with a section of his classmates.
UoN School of Law Dean Prof Kiarie Mwaura said the lecturer has since been suspended to facilitate investigations.
“We will take appropriate action once we get the report,” said Prof Mwaura on Tuesday.
He said this is the first such incident to be reported at the university.
The leakage raises questions on examination integrity in local universities.
Last year, an investigation by the New York Times described Kenya as a hotbed of academic dishonesty, where jobless graduates were minting millions of shillings writing theses and term papers for students in the United States.
Last month, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha asked universities to focus on quality education, noting that he had been shocked by the quality of some graduates, even those with PhDs.
“I have interviewed PhD graduates who could not remember their theses''.
''It's time we stopped talking about the number of students we graduate but graduates with quality,” said Prof Magoha. He cited the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) where he served as chairperson before his current appointment, saying they have been unable to get a candidate for the substantive chief executive officer's position.
Prof Magoha regretted that many experts could be writing theses for students in universities and they belong in jail.
“Many managers in the industry are investing money to train some of the graduates that we have trained in universities since some are not up to the task,” said Prof Magoha.
Already 21 law graduates have been locked out of the Kenya School of Law after failing to produce A level certificates as some had joined universities without meeting the required qualifications.
In 2017, the Commission for University Education, in a report, cited weak security controls in terms of printing, storage and sealing of certificates, thus compromising the integrity of certificates.
