Police storm Knec offices and arrest officials over exam irregularities

Police yesterday stormed Kenya National Examination Council offices and arrested Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu alongside eight senior officers.

This was just hours after the examination board was dissolved over increase in cases of cheating in last year’s KCPE and KCSE exams that led to 7,700 results being cancelled.

Those arrested were taken to the Nairobi Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices.

A copy of a confidential report said to have implicated examination officials in the scam was then handed to County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Nicholas Kamwende reportedly to form the basis for the questioning.

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was with Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet during the briefing to demonstrate that leakage of national examinations had been taken seriously by the Government.

In a brief press session that lasted less than 10 minutes, Nkaissery announced Kivilu and eight senior managers had been asked to record statements with the police immediately. The CS listed senior deputy secretary in charge of examinations Ambia Noor, deputy secretary in charge of security Maundu Matenzewa, principal examination secretary Thomas McKenzie and senior deputy secretary in charge of reprographics Sarah Majani as those who would record statements with the police.

Also asked to record statements were senior deputy secretary Bobby Nyagah Mwai, senior deputy secretary in charge of ICT Geoffrey Gitogo, the principal supply chain manager Michael Ndua and deputy secretary Richard Mwangangi.

Nkaissery linked the named officials to the massive exam leakage that marred last year’s examinations.

“These people were involved in what happened in last year’s examinations. They must report to the police and show why legal action should not be taken against them,” he said.

The swift action came following a preliminary investigation that Matiang’i announced “reveals complicity, irregularities and illegitimate activities on a number of fronts within and outside of Knec”.

The Standard established that President Uhuru Kenyatta was “personally concerned” by the perennial cancellation of examination results and outcry from candidates that had become the hallmark of the national tests.

The danger posed on the credibility of the country’s education curriculum and recognition of examination certificates issued by local institutions internationally had alarmed authorities.

That an analysis of cases of examinations irregularities for the past five years indicated a steady increase in the vice, it is understood, had prompted the action.

Only 732 KCPE candidates cheated in 2012 against 1,576 cases reported in 2013. The cases rose to 1,709 in 2014 and 2,709 last year.

 NEW BOARD

And for KCSE, some 1,254 candidates were involved in cheating in 2012 compared to 3,812 in 2013.  Some 2,975 cases were reported in 2014 but the figure soared to 5,101 cases last year.

Sources also indicated that questions had been raised about the composition of the Knec board, with insiders saying that decision-making processes were hampered as about half of the members were from one community. Reports of infighting among the senior management team were also feared to have sabotaged operations and effective administration of the national tests.

Yesterday, Matiang’i dissolved the Knec board and said President Kenyatta had appointed former University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor George Magoha to chair the new board.

Prof Kabiru Kinyanjui previously chaired the board. However, by the time of going to press, Kinyanjui had not received a letter terminating his four-year tenure, which ends in December this year. Matiang’i, however, said the President had been adequately briefed on the developments and indicated that the ministry would work with Prof Magoha to reform the council.

One of the sacked officials, however, said they would not write any statement. “Let them stop hiding from real things. None of these guys are culpable. You don’t sack a general when he is in the field with troops, they can turn against you,” he said.

Some of the candidates in the 2015 KCSE examinations received question papers many hours ahead of the set time, resulting in massive cancellation of results that the CS said hit a record 70 per cent.

More than 7,700 candidates who sat last year’s KCPE and KCSE examinations had their results cancelled.

“The President instructed Nkaissery and myself to look into this mater. We have looked at several reports and received information from a wide range of sources to arrive at this decision,” said Matiang’i.

Matiang’i said the report’s findings revealed that Knec has fundamental systemic challenges that must be decisively and conclusively addressed.

“Some of these officials were mentioned in exam scandals. We have taken time to review quite a number of things and we believe this is the time for deep reforms at Knec,” he said.