Parents agonise over scrapped scores

Some 40 candidates from two private schools in Mombasa County had their results cancelled by the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) after they were found to have engaged in exam malpractices.

Knec cancelled the results of Iqra Academy and Southgate Inuka School due to cheating in Kiswahili and English papers.

The results of 21 candidates of Southgate Inuka school were cancelled after 11 cheated in English and 10 in Kiswahili while the results of 19 pupils of Iqra Academy were cancelled for cheating in Kiswahili exam.

"We only have two schools compared to six centres whose results were cancelled last following cheating claims in the schools," Mombasa County Director of Education Abdulkadir Kike told The Standard.

Six centres

Last year, 39 candidates across six centres in Mombasa County had their results cancelled after they were found to have engaged in examination malpractices.

"Cases of examination malpractice has dropped immensely and we are seeing to it that this is wiped out. We are taking strides to see that in the two years no cheating will be recorded in the county," said Kike.

Mombasa is among the three counties at the Coast which were found to have cases of exam malpractices, including Kwale and Kilifi.

Taita Taveta, Lamu and Tana River counties in the Coast region were among those that did not register any examination malpractice in the KCPE results released on Monday by Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi.

Kike said the performance of the county also improved in this year's examinations. According to school heads, the results for the county had improved.

Elsewhere, pupils of Canaan Royal School in Likuyani Sub-County in Kakamega County also had their results cancelled.

The affected subjects were English and Kiswahili.

Everlyne Mweresa said her son had not received English and Kiswahili results leading to cancellation of his entire results.

"My son was hard working, disciplined and determined to score high marks. I received his results through sms and they had zeros in the place of English and Kiswahili," said Ms Mweresa.

She said in the past, she had heard rumours that the school engages in examination malpractices.

Protest threat

Parents are now demanding that the school explains to them what happened for the results of their children to be cancelled. They said if the school management fails to offer a valid explanation, they would stage demonstrations to have the school closed.

"We have been paying a lot of money yet our children have not received their results. We demand an explanation from the school director to tell us what led to this misfortune or else we will demonstrate to have this school closed," said Janepher Mika, a parent.

Exam irregularities were also reported in Nandi County as results of all pupils at Chepkisa AIC Kaptildil Academy were cancelled for having cheated in Kiswahili paper.

Green View Academy, which had candidates sitting exams for the first time, was affected as results of 10 were cancelled for having cheated in English and Kiswahili subjects.

Report By Stanley Mwahanga, Philip Mwakio, Alex Wakhisi and Rael Jelimo