Tough rules curbed cheating in KCPE, says Magoha

Education CS George Magoha during the release of KCPE results at KNEC offices on November 18, 2019. He noted that this year, only four candidates were disqualified over impersonation. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Prof Magoha said it was evident from the administration of the examinations that the traditional forms of cheating had been wiped out.
  • He said this a stark difference from 2016, for instance, when the council collected 102 fake papers.

The tight security measures that have been in place the past four years have curbed cheating in national examinations, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said on Monday.

Prof Magoha said it was evident from the administration of the examinations that the traditional forms of cheating had been wiped out.

“Our vigilant measures of examination administration have continued to assist us nip in the bud some of the cases that would have led to cheating. This year, only four candidates were disqualified over impersonation,” said Prof Magoha.

“Our greatest motivation to sustain our stricter examinations ecosystem is that we have alleviated the anxiety that used to torment parents and candidates each year. Unlike previous years, we did not collect a single fake examination paper in any part of the country in 2019.”

FAKE PAPERS

He said this a stark difference from 2016, for instance, when the council collected 102 fake papers.

“Additionally, all KCPE monitors have informed us that during their work, they encountered faces of confident candidates who appeared relaxed as they sat their papers. This is evidence that our teachers are doing a wonderful job of preparing candidates. I must therefore warn the minority of adults who sometimes imagine they can circumvent our systems to aid cheating,” said the CS.

He said a few adult individuals attempted to use unorthodox means to aid cheating in this year’s KCPE.

“One of the most notable cases was in Nyandarua, where a private centre tried to engage in daring and overt cheating,” he said.

“Overall, 10 people including eight examination officials in three centres of Nyandarua, West Pokot and Garissa were arrested over involvement in various examination malpractices. Action was taken before any cheating could happen,” said Prof Magoha.

INVESTIGATION

He insisted that none of the exams or even a single question was leaked.

“The results reflect each candidate’s abilities,” said the CS. Teachers Service Commission chief executive officer Nancy Macharia said 56 teachers who caused some missteps during the administration of KCPE are under investigation.

However, she applauded teachers for successfully guiding the candidates, saying 99.99 per cent of tutors did their work well.

“The TSC will soon recognise the teachers who took extraordinary steps to stop cheating in the KCPE examinations,” said Ms Macharia.