ISIOLO IS THE ONLY COUNTY EXCEMPTED FROM EXAM MALPRACTICES

By Lena Juliet

Of all counties in Kenya its only Isiolo county where candidates were not involved in malpractices during the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) exams. In total, results for 5,101 candidates representing 0.98 per cent of the total candidature have been cancelled as a result of their involvement in various examination malpractices, which is a 70 per cent rise in the number of cheating cases witnessed compared to 2014.

This is an increase from the number of candidates involved in examination malpractices in the 2014 KCSE examination when 2,975 candidates, representing 0.62 per cent of the total candidature were involved in the vice.

Education Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i said the ministry has agreed not to cancel results for the entire examination centers as has been the norm but will instead be dealing with students individually.

He added that a secretariat would be set up, where schools and students who feel aggrieved with any aspect of the examination results including cancellation have one month to raise any query on the same with Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) for necessary action to be taken.

Subsequently, Matiang’i said President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed him and his Interior counterpart, Joseph Nkaissery to hold a meeting with Knec, unions and other critical stakeholders to discuss the way forward over exam irregularities and report back in a month’s time.

The Cabinet Secretaries will then table a report and what he referred to as a crystal clear plan of how to deal with the issue, even as he assured that they will do their best to fulfill the President’s directive.

Speaking after the exam results were released, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) faulted the move to cancel results for students saying that the exam body should take the blame.

Knut secretary Wilson Sossion said elaborate efforts must be put in place to secure this year’s exams to ensure that there is zero case of cheating.