Three cabinet secretaries are set to meet today over thorough preparations to secure this year’s national examinations.
Besides, authorities have alerted the public to avoid any form of cheating national exams as it will attract tough penalties.
The Kenya National Examinations Council also warned its staff against attempts of leaking the examination.
In an interview with The Standard, the KNEC Chief Executive Officer Mercy Karogo reiterated that the KNEC Act on the penalties were clear.
Any member, officer, agent or staff who commits an examination irregularity due to omission or commission and is liable to imprisonment for up to five years.
The irregularity can also attract a fine not exceeding kshs 5,000,000.
MEETING
This tough warning comes as the Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’ i and Education CS Professor George Magoha are set for a meeting today.
The main agenda will be securing the national examinations against any irregularities.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) CS Joe Mucheru and the Teachers Service Commission Secretary Dr Nancy Macharia will also attend the meeting at the Kenya School of Government.
NEW PADLOCKS, KEYS AND METALLIC BOXES
According to The Standard, new padlocks and keys to the metallic containers where the examination papers will be stored will be given to regional officers.
Around 479 high-security metallic boxes will be used to store the examination papers in 338 sub-counties.
Each container will be guarded by five police officers.
Two officers will work during the day, two at night with one supervisor in charge of the four officers.
Today’s meeting marks the beginning of the examination period.
315 SCHOOLS ON THE SPOT
According to the investigations by KNEC, some schools are planning to station subject teachers in school to help learners to cheat during the national examinations.
In other schools, the teachers are planning to markup KCPE papers for standard eight candidates.
Parents have also jumped the bandwagon by collecting funds to facilitate leakages in schools.
In total, 315 schools have been earmarked and put under tight security over plans to cheat in the upcoming national examinations.
Karogo yesterday told The Standard that unauthorized possession of exam papers, materials or information will attract imprisonment and/or fine.
Dr Mercy Karogo also warned schools against changing examination numbers, photographs or other identification documents of students.
She added that this will attract a jail term not exceeding five years, a fine not exceeding Ksh 1million or both.
Examination officers who will misuse examination materials, lose or destroy them will also face a jail term not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding sh 2 million.
IDENTICAL ANSWERS
Cases of students having identical readings in science practical and copied textbook answers have previously been identified.
Today’s meeting is a result of the numerous engagements KNEC has had in the past few weeks.
Last week, a team of about 500 monitors met in Nairobi for a briefing on how to mitigate cheating.
