KCSE exams kick off as Knec issues warning to cheats

Knec acting Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu.

The Government Monday sought to reassure 400,000 candidates who begin their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination Tuesday that there are no leaks.

The examination begins with uncertainty over the outcome of ongoing talks on better pay for teachers. Talks with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) resume on Friday, but only the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has committed to turn up for the negotiations.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has pulled out of the talks, accusing the Government of taking teachers for a ride and threatened to call for a strike. Knec contracts teachers to run examinations.

Knec assured the country that the exam papers were secure in county offices and that all preparations had been made to ensure a smooth exercise.

"Examination papers are not usually leaked, but a group of criminals may have mock papers and with today's technology may mark them with the Knec logo. I want to assure everyone that our examination papers are secure and those  purporting to have the current KCSE examinations papers whether real or fake will face the full force of the law," Knec acting Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu told The Standard Monday.

Dr Kivilu said the papers were dispatched to the county offices from where they will be distributed to their respective stations.

Fake papers

"All the examination papers are sealed and always accompanied by a security officer. The supervisors are picked on the day of the exam in the company of a security officer," he said.

He cautioned parents and candidates against falling prey to unscrupulous individuals purporting to sell KCSE papers.

Kivilu said some con men were arrested selling fake KCSE exam papers, adding that Knec is working closely with security agencies to ensure examinations proceed without hitches.

He warned that candidates caught cheating would have their results cancelled and would be barred from sitting any Knec examination for three years.

Kivilu said Knec has even hired choppers to ensure the exam papers are delivered to centres on time, following the start of the rainy season in some parts of the country.

"We have experienced some of the negative effects of the short rains that happen every year when candidates sit for their KCSE but we are prepared. We have helicopters on standby for those areas that may be rendered unreachable by the rains. We will liaise with institutions like the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) which has made a commitment to provide vehicles for areas with roads that are too rough for normal vehicles," he said.

The Ministry of Education will help Knec deal with any situation that may arise and which may be beyond their means, he said.

To curb cheating, Knec has called candidates' attention to the KNEC Act 2012 that spells out harsh punishment including having the results for the subject cancelled.

If there is evidence of widespread irregularities in any examination centre, the results for the entire centre will be cancelled, the Act says.

Knec warned those involved in leakages that any person who gains access to examination material and knowingly reveals the contents to an unauthorised party risks a 10-year jail term or a fine not exceeding Sh2 million or both.

Those not registered to take the Knec examination but do so on behalf of candidates would be prosecuted and could be jailed for a year or fined Sh2 million and be banned from taking any Knec exam for three years.

Exam fee

Monday, Deputy President William Ruto announced that the Government had abolished examination fees.

"All children from Standard Eight to Form Four will do their exams so that we give them equal opportunity to prepare them to be heroes and heroines of our country," said Ruto at the Nyayo National Stadium during Mashujaa Day celebrations.

Today candidates will sit English papers. The KCSE exams run until November 7 and will be followed by the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations for Standard Eight candidates from November 11.

The regulations contained in the Act aim at safeguarding the security and integrity of examinations. They also strengthen the administration of examinations and guide those who handle them.

Knec will roll out a computer-based assessment system for national exams that will see candidates tackle questions and submit answers online. Under this arrangement, candidates will answer different sets of the same questions arranged randomly to eliminate cheating.

This means that two candidates sitting next to each other may not tackle the same questions at the same time. "If there are 10 questions, at the end of the exercise, both candidates will have answered all of them but in a different order," said Kivilu.