NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 23 – As the rest of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination candidates sat for their exams throughout the country, 60 students in Nairobi sadly recounted how their headmaster allegedly conned them off their registration fees.
James Kamau one of the students told Capital News that the Principal of Twilight High School kept dodging them any time they asked for their index numbers.
“We told him that our friends from other schools had index numbers, he told us he would give them to us soon. He went to one of his other schools in Kayole and brought us their numbers though he twisted them, they looked so real, we relaxed knowing we had index numbers,” explained Kamau.
The school head had also allegedly registered some students from smaller schools. “In total we were 243 students he agreed to register, only 80 of them were registered, the rest of us 163 cannot sit our exams.”
One of the teachers who could not reveal his identity confirmed to Capital News that the Principal had a list of 243 students who he said he had registered.
“We were shocked that he only registered 80 in one of his schools in Kayole, but he is a professional liar, he had a nice convincing way of making us to believe him, he made up some index numbers that looked very real and he was so nice to us, “ alleged the student.
When Capital News arrived at Twilight High School in Saika, Embakasi Constituency, the teachers were trying to come into terms with the loss of one year of hard work. They said it was too sad to realise that even after working so hard to prepare their students, they could not sit the KCSE like other candidates.
“For sure we are affected as teachers; some of the parents of these students struggled so hard to raise school fees and even to pay for the exam. It is also very discouraging for me, I don’t know what I will do to feel at peace again,” said one of the teachers.
The class teacher of the candidates also feared that most of the 60 students in his class were unlikely to continue with their education.
“It will be hard for all of them to accept to repeat, we were pushing them just to finish form four, and now making them stay for another one year, I don’t see many of them accepting to wait for another year,” he said.
Not for their own making and being in a situation beyond their control, the candidates said they had to brave themselves to face the shame explaining to their friends, neighbours and relatives why they were not doing their exams.
Purity Gathoni said: “I should now be revising for my next paper, but for now I am so confused, I am just loitering around, if I stay at home I will be stressed. Neighbours are laughing at us. This is very discouraging.”
Phanice Fiona also one of the affected candidate said, “The principal destroyed our plans, for now we have nothing to do apart from waiting for next year, start all over again from 1st term all through to 3rd term to sit the exam.”
The students appealed to the Kenya National Examination Council to make special arrangements for them so that they can be fitted somewhere to sit their exams this year.
They said it was difficult for some of their parents to afford them to be in school for yet another year. They also urged the government to arrest the owner of the school to have him pay for the damages caused to the students.
The story of students from Twilight High School in Saika mirrors that of 24 others in Rachuonyo – their registration fees were allegedly pocketed by an unscrupulous administrator and now they have no opportunity to prove themselves after a year of preparation.
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