Senate begin probe on alleged cheating in 2022 KCSE exams

The Senate has launched investigations into cheating allegations in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) whose results as announced last week spiked questions of credibility.

Senate Education Committee chairperson Joe Nyutu confirmed the probe over concerns that most schools recorded a sudden rise in the number of students attaining As.

Some schools suddenly posted high grades with almost every student scoring university entry grades.

“We want to ascertain the truth. It is very easy to know whether there was cheating in exams if candidates gave the same answers. All human beings cannot think the same,”

“The abnormal curve is also raising questions. A school cannot have a mean grade of five and then suddenly shoots to nine. After the probe we will issue our report,” he added.

Nyutu said action will be taken against anyone found to have engaged in cheating.

The results announced on Friday last week by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu showed an improvement in the number of candidates who scored an A plain as compared to the previous year.

A total of 1,146 candidates scored an A compared to 1,138 candidates in 2021.

In most schools, the university entry shot up as almost every candidate will get direct entry to universities as compared to 2021.

For instance, Nyambaria High school showed an exemplary performance with 28 candidates out of the 488 candidates scoring As compared to four in 2021 and the lowest grade for the class being a B minus with the school recording a mean score of 10.

Several politicians have criticised the Kenya Kwanza administration with some leaders claiming that the 2022 results should be disbanded and an audit carried out.

However, while releasing the results, Machogu dismissed claims of any irregularities during the exam period.

He said that the ministry enforced a mechanism that minimised leakages and any malpractices.