Disband KNEC over exam irregularities

The integrity of examinations in Kenya is at risk! Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), the government’s custodian of examination has seriously failed Kenyans. Despite the process of setting exams being a secretive practice, cases of leakage are always detected raising integrity questions for the parties involved. KNEC should be disbanded with immediate effect. Their inefficiency and laxity of upholding exam integrity is highly wanting. The 2015 KCSE exams had the highest ever recorded number of cheats who were found out at 5,101 candidates compared to 2,975 in 2014; a 70 percent increase. Government even scrapped ranking of schools to curb examination irregularities but this was futile. On the contrary, examination cheating has intensified over the last three years.

KNEC is the sole conduit to exam irregularities in Kenya. School principals and security officers and other stakeholders should also be forewarned and made responsible too for the perennial massive examination cheating in the country. As established, cheating of exams is a ‘monster’ that is fed by parents, police and senior education officials. Ultimately, it’s KNEC that ought to carry this entire burden; they need to be disbanded immediately.

Just who is to blame? Deputy president William Ruto is blaming the ministry while Matiang’i is blaming the head teachers. Matiang’i said that head teachers are to be blamed on examination cheating but is it possible for a national examination to be carried out without a single case of cheating?

It’s good to note that Examination cheating is a long circuit that begins with KNEC and if ultimatums are given to the KNEC fraternity, examination cheating will be a thing of the past. KNEC’s incompetency and unprofessional way of handling exams has serious ramification to parents, teachers and the general public. It is pathetic that as a country, students have to be victimized in all these. This is especially having played a vital role and being cognizant of the fact that the main players of this come from the exam officials at KNEC. They (Exam officials) collaborate with security officers who are supposed to be guarding the exams as well as principals, who even spend their own money to see their students pass. KNEC itself has confessed that they have been having issues among their staff who do not uphold integrity ethos.

Let’s shun the vice for the interest of integrity. The government should disband KNEC with immediate effect and send all its officials home. Exam irregularity is a cancer that seems to mutate extremely fast. KNEC is the sole conduit to exam irregularities in Kenya. School principals and security officers and other stakeholders should also be forewarned and made responsible too for the perennial massive examination cheating in the country.

Dr. Njenga, Solomon