The reported irregularity cases in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams make Kenyans remember the former Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Dr. Fred Matiang’i.
As of Wednesday, November 8, 23 teachers had been arrested and 3 principals suspended over KCSE exam irregularities.
Such reports bring back the memories of Matiang’i who streamlined the national exams for the two years he served as Education CS, winning the support of many Kenyans.
In 2015 December, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Matiang’i to take over from Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi as Education CS.
Matiang’i unveiled new tough measures to curb exam cheating which had damaged the reputation of the Kenya Examination Council (KNEC). Uhuru later moved the super CS to the Interior Ministry.
When President William Ruto took over, he appointed Ezekiel Machogu as Education CS, filling the big shoes of not only Matiang’i but also his predecessor, the late Prof. George Magoha who administered national exams with an iron fist.
Matiang’i Exam Rules
To start off, Matiang’i sacked 11 senior officials at the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) board.
He appointed late Prof. Georga Magoha to replace Prof Kabiru Kinyanjui as the KNEC Chairman.
Further, he reorganized the school calendar and banned social activities in the third term.
Part of the changes was the introduction of a two months for teachers and students in lower forms to give room for the KCPE and KCSE.
According to Matiang’i the readjustments were meant to reduce unnecessary contact between candidates (majorly KCSE) and teachers and outsiders during the exams.
Storage of exam materials was shifted from police stations to designated 346 containers guarded round-the-clock in sub-counties with only the deputy county commissioner and sub-county director of education having the keys.
Additionally, the collection was adjusted to 6a.m to prevent early collection and spreading of the papers to students.
Also, the containers were opened in the presence of all headteachers and supervisors who would exit the site at the same time.
Also Read: TSC Suspends Principal of School in Nyamira That Topped 2022 KCSE
Other Changes
KCSE exams period was shortened from six weeks to four and headteachers put directly in charge of the tests.
Besides, Matiang’i, Magoha and other Education officials were directly involved in the administration of the exams following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive to ensure proper administration.
Also, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, was put in charge of employees of the commission, including principals, supervisors and invigilators.
Matiang’i also ensured the creation of a WhatsApp group to get constant updates and alarms in case of a problem.
Again, the WhatsApp updates would be posted on Twitter and Facebook by communication network experts.
He equally banned discussion on important matters relating to the national examinations on social media.
A command-and-control centre, as well as a call centre, were established for enhanced coordination of all the activities related to examinations administration.
Also, Matiang’i ordered that the 2016 exams be reset to prevent leakages and banned the use of clipboards and geometrical in the exam rooms.
Finally, the KCSE results were released within one month down from the previous three months.
This was to eliminate the possibility of alterations (upgrading of grades) by KNEC officials.
Also Read: Govt to Relocate KCSE Candidates in Flooded Areas
KCSE Results Impact
Consequently, the changes implemented by Matiang’i had visible impacts on the KCSE results.
To begin with, the number of candidates with grade A (plain) dropped from 2,636 in 2015 to 141 in 2016.
On the contrary, the number of candidates with grade E increased from 5,350 in 2015 to 33,399 in 2016.
Additionally, only 17,216 students scored A-(minus) in 2016 compared to 33,927 the previous year.
Small numbers were recorded for candidates with grades B+(plus), B(plain), B-(minus), C+(plus), C(plain) and C-(minus).
However, the lower grades recorded an increase in the 2016 KCSE exam results as compared to the previous year.
Students with grade D+ increased from 79,157 to 80,951 students and those with D(plain) went up by over 32,000.
Also, students while number of students with grade D- (minus) increased from 48,658 to a high of 149,929.
KCSE 2022
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu presided over the first national examinations in 2022.
Out of the 881,416 candidates who sat for the KCSE exams, 173,345 scored the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above as compared to 145,776 in 2021.
A total of 1.146 candidates scored grade A (plain) compared to 1,138 in 2021.
Also, the number of candidates with grade E in 2022 declined to 30,822 compared to 46,151 in 2021.
On October 12, a National Assembly Committee released a report confirming that there were cases of malpractice in the 2022 KCSE.
The Committe revealed that the Directorate of Criminal Investigaions already handled 68 malpractice cases with 44 of them pending investigations.
In addition, 17 cases are pending before court while 6 cases have already been finalized.
