On Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba assured parents, students, and teachers that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will no longer cancel entire centers’ results in response to exam cheating. Speaking to examiners at Lang’ata Sub-County Headquarters in Nairobi, Ogamba announced that KNEC will address cheating cases on an individual basis, aiming to avoid penalizing innocent students when misconduct occurs.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to report that we have put very serious measures in place. If there is any malpractice this year, we will not condemn the whole school or center. We will address it on an individual level,” Ogamba affirmed. He emphasized that KNEC’s approach would ensure only those directly involved in cheating face consequences, protecting the integrity of exam results for others.
To implement this, KNEC has introduced serialized exam papers, which will allow tracking of any exam leakages. According to Ogamba, if a student is found cheating, the unique serial numbers on the exam papers will help investigators trace the malpractice back to specific individuals. “If a student brings a phone into the exam room, takes a photo of their paper, and sends it around, we can track that student because all papers are serialized. Only that student will face consequences, not the entire institution,” he explained.
The Education CS also addressed the issue of coordinated cheating within schools, explaining that the government will thoroughly investigate any suspected collaboration before taking action. “If we find that individuals have collaborated, as we saw in Homa Bay, we will follow the evidence and ensure that those directly involved are penalized,” Ogamba stated. This approach, he noted, is designed to prevent the tarnishing of school reputations and the unfair punishment of uninvolved students.
Ogamba criticized past practices where entire centers’ results were canceled, often impacting innocent students. He reiterated his commitment to fostering an ethical and transparent examination system, saying, “We want to clean this sector, keep it ethical, and do the right thing for the future.” By shifting to an individual accountability approach, KNEC aims to uphold fair examination practices, allowing all students to be judged on their own merits.
