At least 380 students who sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam in Kisii County have had their results cancelled due to irregularities with many of the cases linked to cheating.
County Education Board chairman Prof Henry Onderi said the students have Ys in their results, which denotes that the candidate was involved in an exam irregularity.
Irregularities that are sanctioned by the examining body include carrying unauthorised materials, collusion and engaging in various forms of cheating.
At Moteiribe Secondary School in Kisii, 77 have been affected while at Emesa AIC, 22 out of 217 students have missed out on their results.
It is the second year in a row that Emesa is being affected. Last year, none of the school’s candidates received their results.
At Nyabisase SDA Mixed School, a whopping 285 students have been affected and only 32 have their results out of 317 candidates that sat the national exam.
At Nyabisase, the chemistry paper had irregularities while at Emesa, it was the history paper. At Moteiribe, it was the physics paper that was affected.
When the Nation visited Nyabisase SDA Mixed School on Thursday, the school guard shut the gates and reporters were not allowed in.
At Emesa, Nation journalists were allowed in but deputy principal David Agure and the parents/teachers association chair Ibrahim Nyanchong’i said the school principal had left for Kisii town to collect candidates’ results.
“Last year, none of our students received their results. But we will confirm about this year once the principal is back. We cannot talk without having the official message,” said Mr Agure.
This comes days after Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha indicated that results of more than 1,000 candidates had been cancelled over cheating, while 658 others have been withheld for “routine checks on small details” such as accuracy of names and registration.
Kisii County has over the years earned a reputation as an exam cheating hotspot.
In November, 11 people, including students and teachers, were arrested over exam impersonation at Milimani Ramasha — a private centre in Kisii.
The centre had 103 registered candidates from various schools.