Over 200 candidates who sat 2018’s KCSE in Garissa sub-county have had their results cancelled over exam irregularities.
As the affected students and their parents across the sub-county try to come to terms with the reality, it has also emerged that all the 127 candidates at Ikhlas Secondary School had their results nullified.
Out of 69 candidates who sat for the national examination at Young Muslim Secondary School in the same area, 56 had their results cancelled while 10 out of 23 candidates at Excel Secondary School suffered the same fate.
According to an education official who requested anonymity, the results of candidates who were arrested and arraigned in court during the exam period had their results nullified.
They include three students of Boystown, and one from Yathrib and another at Sunshine secondary schools.
The students were found with mobile phones and materials related with exams.
Their cases are among the over 100 pending in courts countrywide.
Among the schools whose results are being withheld in Garissa sub-county are Mnara boys, Al Azar and Iqra secondary schools.
According to KNEC, results of the schools are under investigation.
Garissa KNUT Executive Secretary Abdirizak Hussein said all the six sub-counties in Garissa are equally affected by either the results being withheld or cancelled.
Abdirizak said the withholding of results is causing a lot of anxiety among the candidates and their parents or guardians.
“Why withhold the results because they are under investigation. Release the results together with reasons why they are being investigated,” Abdirizak said.
Kenya Livestock Marketing Council chairman Dubat Amey said that the county should form a committee of relevant stakeholders and get to the root cause of the huge cancellation of candidates’ results in the region.
“Those who caused the cancellation must be brought to book. The Ministry of Education and KNEC should put stringent measures to curb cheating. What went wrong,” Amey said.
“Those who misled our candidates must also be brought to book,” he added.
By Jacob Songok
