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Tough rules on the way to curb exam cheating

Once the rules are gazetted any person involved in examinations malpractice faces a risk of a five-year jail term or Sh2 million in fines or both.

Once the rules are gazetted any person involved in examinations malpractice faces a risk of a five-year jail term or Sh2 million in fines or both.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 23- A set of new rules and regulations on the proper management of national examinations is to be gazetted by the end of January next year, Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said on Monday.

The new rules are expected to facilitate proper implementation of Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Act 2012, and will focus more on penalising those involved in examination malpractices.

Speaking during a stakeholder forum to discuss the draft regulations, Kaimenyi called on Kenyans to give their input before the January 3 deadline.

“Exam cheating and other malpractices have become a major challenge in our national examinations in the recent past. We hope these malpractices will be eliminated from our examinations and education system,” Kaimenyi said.

He said the KNEC Act 2012 has provided for better management of national examinations with stiffer penalties for perpetrators of such malpractices but needed the regulations for smoother implementation.

The Act came into effect on October 19 last year.

“The gazettement of these rules will strengthen the KNEC operations and thus enhance the curriculum implementation programmes,” Kaimenyi noted.

KNEC Chairman Kabiru Kinyanjui said once the rules are gazetted any person involved in examinations malpractice faces a risk of a five-year jail term or Sh2 million in fines or both.

Candidates found cheating will also be bared for upto to three years from seating for any KNEC exam.

“Its not something simple when a teenager is kept home for three years without doing anything. So we hope they will be keen,” Kinyanjui said.

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“The rules go further; that any teacher found in any kind of irregularities will receive his additional penalties through his or her employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC),” he added.

In 2012 KNEC cancelled results for 1,700 KCSE students over irregularities, which was a significant drop from the 2,927 who were involved in cheating in 2011.

In Garissa County, there were 16 cases of cheating, which was highest among the 39 counties affected.

Mandera County recorded 10 cases and nine in Kisii. Others were Nairobi, Migori, Kisumu and Wajir.

During this year’s national examinations, four KCSE candidates were charged in a Mombasa court for being in possession of examination materials.

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