KNEC should take responsibility for KCSE cheating Teachers

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is responsible for cheating and examination leakage that was witnessed during the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. This is according to Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) chair Omboko Milemba.

Speaking at Mitihani House after Education Ministry Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i released the KCSE 2015 results, Milemba claimed that the exams were leaked by KNEC officials.

“We as teachers do not leak exams. The exams were on Facebook and on other media. The students and teachers should not be punished,” said Milemba. “The exams were leaked by KNEC. We should clean KNEC and punish those responsible.”

Milemba’s statement was echoed by Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion.

“Examinations are secured by the examination body not by the students. Who is responsible for these leakages? The CS should give clemency to the children and punish those responsible,” said Sossion.

This comes after the Education CS announced that results of 5,101 candidates had been cancelled as a result of cheating and other related irregularities.

“This is not a laughing matter, it is serious and sad. We want to ensure that this does not happen again,” said Matiang’i.

Matiang’i said that unlike previous years, the results of centres that had recorded high cases of cheating would not be cancelled in wholesale, but the results of individual students would be cancelled.

“I want to look Kenyans in the face and apologize for the cheating and tell them that we will do all we can to ensure that this does not happen again. Where crimes have been committed, action will be taken. We will make public all we intend to do,” added Matiang’i.

“We want to believe that this year there will be zero irregularities,” said Sossion.

In October 2015, 14 teachers, 79 students and 2 police officers were arrested for allegedly leaking the KCSE exams.

The then Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi said some of those arrested in the crackdown against cheating were charged with various offences related to examination malpractices.

522,870 candidates sat for the 2015 KCSE exams.