It is a relief for 25 candidates from Dibuoro Secondary School in Siaya County whose KCSE results were withheld by KNEC on exam mal-practices allegations after being given a chance to resit the exam.
Siaya County Education Director, Nelson Sifuna, revealed that the students had a right to appeal KNEC’s decision to cancel their results over exam malpractices. He disclosed that the students had appealed and KNEC had allowed them to do another exam in thirty days.
According to Sifuna, KNEC’s decision to withhold the candidates’ results was influenced by the events that transpired during the exam period. He claimed that such events propelled KNEC to conclude that the school participated in mal-practices and was forced to withhold the candidates’ results to uphold exam credibility.
However, it is still unclear whether the resit exam will be administered at the Dibuoro school, where mal-practices are supposed to have happened, or if the affected students will be required to pay again for the exam.
For the affected students, the resit exam is their only way to prove that they did not cheat in the exams.
One candidate who sought anonymity while speaking to Nation Africa revealed that the withholding decision hurt them because it meant that they would have nothing to show for their four years in secondary school. He claimed that the resit exam would allow some of the students to pursue their higher learning education and other life goals.
“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,” he told Nation Africa.
In early March when the KCSE exams were ongoing, 52 people from Dibuoro School, including teachers, parents, and students, were arrested and spent two days in a police station over exam irregularities.
While the Dibuoro Secondary School candidates are relieved, their colleagues from Oriwo Secondary School are yet to know their fate as KNEC also withheld their KCSE results over exam cheating allegations.
