The Government will take stern action against those planning to commit exam malpractices as the examination season kicks off.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday said those who will be found to have aided cheating and other exam irregularities will face the full force of the law.
Speaking when he presided over the launch of the 2022 National Examinations Seasons at New Mitihani House in Nairobi, the Deputy President also said the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration will ensure that no candidate misses exams because of insecurity or lack of food.
He said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has been directed to hunt for those purporting to sell examination papers on social sites and take action against culprits.
He warned teachers and national administration officers against conniving with the merchants of fake exam papers saying action will be taken against those found culpable of perpetrating irregularities.
“We have asked the DCI to activate cybercrime detectives to look for those selling fake exam papers. Don’t make any attempt to leak what you have been entrusted with because we will catch up with you,” he said.
He said the Government has formulated a plan bringing together multi-agencies to ensure exams were not interrupted in insecurity hotspots as well as coordinating distribution of food to those severely affected by hunger.
“We have mooted a multi-agency short-term plan of ensuring that schools in the hotspots are not interrupted. We will go an extra mile for every child in those areas to sit their exams as planned,” he said.
He said most of the students affected were day scholars who will receive the Government’s full attention.
“We know that the ongoing drought has affected schools, especially day scholars who constitute around 70 percent of four secondary schools. In addition to the food distribution in arid and semi-arid areas, measures are being put in place to ensure students do not miss exams due to hunger,” he added.
Thousands of candidates will be sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education tests beginning at the end of this month. They will be the last group to be examined after the coronavirus interrupted learning calendar in 2020.
The DP assured Kenyans that the normal calendar will resume beginning next year.
The DP also said the Government will look into the welfare of Sub County Education directors urging the Ministry of Education to ensure the officers were well facilitated while discharging their duties.
“I have seen the agony they go through. We need to back them with facilities for them to provide meaningful supervision. The officers work hard and are patriotic,” said the DP.
He also expressed the government commitment to improve the living standards of Deputy County Commissioners and Assistant County Commissioners saying they deserved better houses and vehicles while on duty.
Present was Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu who expressed confidence the exams will be free of cheating.
