Some 25 candidates at Dibuoro Secondary School in Siaya County whose KCSE results were withheld because of alleged exam malpractices have appealed the decision and will sit another exam in 30 days.
Siaya County Education Director Nelson Sifuna told the nation.africa that the affected candidates were allowed to appeal the decision of the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) to cancel their results.
“They will re-sit exams in order to get the results because of what transpired at the time the KCSE exam was being administered,” Mr Sifuna said by phone.
But he declined to disclose whether Knec would administer the exams at the school or another site, or whether the candidates would pay for the tests.
One candidate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said taking the exam anew would enable some of them to proceed to college.
“It is sad that some of us have no results to show for the four years in secondary school. We never cheated in the exams and we will prove that when we take the other exam,” the candidate said.
This comes as Knec investigates alleged cheating at some schools, including Oriwo Secondary School, whose candidates also did not get their results on suspicion that they were involved in exam malpractices.
Arrests during last exams
In early March, when the KCSE exams were going on, 52 people at Dibuoro Secondary, including students, teachers and exam officials, spent two days in the Siaya Police Station cells after they were found with mobile phones that allegedly had copies of leaked exam papers.
Siaya sub-county Police Commander Benedict Mwangangi said the incident was reported by some exam officials who saw unusual behaviour in the school compound. Some 22 candidates had locked themselves in a classroom moments before the exams kicked off that morning.
Because the classroom was not an exam room, the officers became curious and stormed in, only to find the candidates revising chemistry practical questions from the exam that they were supposed to sit.
When the officials checked the phones, they were shocked to find that Kiswahili Paper Two, which they had sat the previous day, was also on the gadgets.
“The learners had phones with them, and from the beginning they were told phones were not allowed in school when exams are going on,” said Mr Mwangangi in an earlier interview.
The officers also established that the students were members of a WhatsApp group that had 42 members and the exams were shared on that platform BY DAILY NATION