Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that the results of 840 candidates who sat for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams have been cancelled due to involvement in examination irregularities. Speaking during the release of the 2024 results, Ogamba revealed that 2,829 results are still withheld as investigations into potential malpractice continue. These investigations are set to be completed within the next 30 days, starting from January 9, 2025.
Ogamba expressed regret that some contracted professionals and teachers continue to engage in unethical practices that jeopardize the integrity of the national exams. He condemned those involved in facilitating cheating, saying, “It is unfortunate that a few contracted professionals and teachers are still insistent on ruining the lives of our learners by subjecting them to exam malpractices.” The Ministry of Education has vowed to take firm disciplinary action against 91 contracted professionals who are alleged to have been involved in facilitating exam cheating.
This year, a total of 962,512 candidates sat for the KCSE exams, which were conducted between October 22 and November 22, 2024. In a significant policy shift, Ogamba reaffirmed that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will no longer cancel the results of entire examination centers when irregularities are detected. Instead, cases of malpractice will be addressed individually, ensuring that only those directly involved face penalties, and preventing unnecessary collateral damage to innocent candidates.
In the 2023 KCSE exams, KNEC withheld the results of more than 4,000 candidates due to alleged irregularities and cancelled the results of four candidates who were caught impersonating others. Following investigations, KNEC reinstated the results of affected candidates from schools like Kisii’s Cardinal Otunga Boys and Nyakongo Secondary School, which had their results initially withheld.
Ogamba’s statements signal a continued effort to ensure that the integrity of the KCSE exams remains uncompromised, while also protecting the rights of innocent candidates. The ongoing investigations will determine the full scope of irregularities and the corresponding actions to be taken.
