Knec withholds KCSE results of 600 students in Nandi county

KNEC CEO David Njeng'ere Kabita. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

More than 600 students from two schools in Nandi county are anxious after their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results were withheld over suspected exam malpractices.

Parents and students of Samoei Boys and St Mary's Girls Tachasis Secondary Schools expressed shock after discovering that they couldn't access 2023 KCSE results on the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) portal.

The students flocked the schools to demand explanation from the management.

Frustrated parents among them Mary Mutai have questioned the grounds for withholding the results.

"There was no sign of cheating during the exams," Ms Mutai.

"We invested close to Sh500,000 and four years into our children's education at Samoei Boys, and the thought of it going to waste because of unfounded allegations is agonizing," she added.

John Chepkwony, another parent, expressed concern over tendency to suspect cheating whenever students perform beyond expectations.

"The exams were conducted smoothly and there were no reports of irregularities. How can they launch an investigation after the results have already been released?" He posed.

Nandi Hills MP Bernard Kitur led parents and students to demonstrate to demand the immediate release of the results, terming the move to withhold the results "malicious and detrimental to the students future."

He vowed to raise the issue in Parliament and hold the Knec and Ministry of Education accountable over alleged mismanagement of national exams.

Nandi County Education Director Harison Muriuki however, assured parents and students that the results have not been cancelled and an investigation is underway.

"We expect the investigation to be completed within 20 days and if no malpractices are found, the results will be released," he said.

During the release of KCSE results, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced that results of four students out of 4,113 candidates had been cancelled over exam malpractice.