Some students of Dibuoro secondary school, arrested last month for alleged examination irregularities, will have to re-sit their KCSE exam after their results were withheld.
The county director of education Nelson Sifuna has said 25 students out of the 42 who were whisked to Siaya police station on 18th March, 2022 for the offence, have had their results withheld by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
However, Sifuna said that the affected students have since lodged an appeal with KNEC, protesting the decision.
“They have appealed the decision and will re-sit another examination in 30 days in order to get the results because of what transpired at the time,” he said.
However, the director speaking to KNA on phone Tuesday, did not specify whether the students will pay afresh for the exam or whether they will sit for it in a different examination centre.
Mid last month, police stormed the school and arrested 42 students who were hauled to Siaya police stations after they were found with cellphones that had examination leakages.
Apart from the students, the police led by Siaya deputy county commissioner Enock Nyarango and the sub county police commander Benedict Mwangangi also arrested the school principal, KNEC supervisor, five invigilators, two laboratory assistants and a chemistry teacher, all of whom were locked in. They were however released a day later pending investigations.
According to Mwangangi, it all started that morning when hawk eyed examination officials and security officers noted an unusual gathering in one of the classrooms, where 22 students had locked themselves in before the examinations.
The police boss said that upon storming into the classroom that was not an examination room, the officers found four cellphones after a thorough search.
Mwangangi told the media that upon scrutiny, it was found that the phones had leakages for Chemistry practical’s that the students were meant to do on the same day, adding that the phones also had Kiswahili paper 2 which was done the previous day.
He said that the examinations were shared in a Whatsapp group that had 42 students from Dibuoro secondary school as members.
Several former students who had their results cancelled expressed hope that they would be able to re-sit the examinations and acquire certificates, adding that it would be sad to have no results to show after four years in school.
“We never cheated in the examinations and we shall prove to the world when they give us a chance to do another one,” said a former student who sought anonymity.
By Philip Onyango
