Nairobi: Results for 5,101 candidates who sat the 2015 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination have been cancelled over exam irregularities.
While releasing the results, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i decried the high numbers, saying the rate of irregularities is 70 per cent higher than the previous year’s.
Matiang’i said, however, the entire results in the affected examination centres will not be cancelled in revised rules which will see the individual candidates bear the brunt. The irregularities took place in 305 centres country wide.
Only ISiolo County did not record any cases of exam irregularities, with the highest numbers being experienced in Nairobi, Makueni and Meru Counties affecting 151, 382 and 160 candidates respectively.
“A secretariat will be set up at the Education Ministry to guide candidates whose results have been cancelled,” said Matiang’i.
The secretariat will be open from 8am to 5pm every day and the team will explain to the candidates how their results were cancelled.
Candidates, parents and guardians can send the index number to 22252 to receive the results on their mobile phones.
Teachers unions expressed their dissatisfaction with the move to cancel exam results, laying the blame on Kenya National Examinations Council and the Education Ministry for failure to curb leakages,
“It is unfair to cancel the results of candidates due to exam irregularities, students don't set exams,” said Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion.
He added that the responsibility of exam irregularities rests solely with the examination council.
The examination was conducted following eight weeks of teachers’ strike that resulted from dispute over payment of 50-60 per cent pay hike.