NAIROBI, Kenya March 9-The National Assembly Education Committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly has kick-started a probe into allegations of cheating and other malpractices in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
Melly today during a briefing meeting with committee members said they will conduct a detailed inquiry on the whole process of administration and marking of the examination and release of results.
“We are ready and determined to get answers on what really transpired in the run-up to the 2022 exams and the period thereafter ,” said Melly, who disclosed that the 15 member house team will be split into two groups.
The committee chairperson appealed to the public to turn up in large numbers and submit their views to the House team when they start their regional visits in a forthnight.
Members of the public have a window to submit their views either orally or written from March 20 to March 27, according to a notice signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge, that is in today’s dailies.
In the notice on Thursday, the departmental House committee has spelled out nine terms of reference for the inquiry that will see the lawmakers visit 11 select counties to collect views from the public.
“To establish the trend and commence a comparative analysis of 2022 KCSE examination performance vis-a-vis performance of the preceding years 2019-2022,” reads the notice, in part.
According to the notice, the committee will seek to determine whether there were incidences of cheating or other examination malpractices and also probe if the Ministry of Education and the Kenya National Examination Council took any steps to stop cheating.
At the same time, the MPs belonging to the committee in their inquiry will get the input on members the public on whether there is a need to review the penalties for exam malpractices in the country.
According to the schedule released by the committee, on March 20, 2023 the team will be in Nakuru County at the Rift Valley Regional Commissioners plenary hall. On the same day, another team will be at Nyeri County for a public engagement at Nyeri youth empowerment center in Ruring’u.
On March 21, 2023, will collect views from the public at Uasin Gishu Multi-purpose Hall (Uasin Gishu County) and at the Embu Kenya School of Government (Embu County).
On the third day, March 22, 2023 committee members will be at Muliro University Hall (Kakamega County) and at Machakos Youth Center (Machakos County).
Residents of Nyamira County will have an opportunity to make their submissions before the MPs on March 23, 2023 at Nyamira CDF hall. On the same date, another team from the committee will be at the Kenya Coast National Polytechnic Hall.
March 24, 2023 will be last day of the regional visits, with the twin teams from the committee conducting public hearings at Grace Ogot Hall (Kisumu County) and Wajir- ICT hall (Wajir County).
The committee members will eventually converge in Nairobi on March 27, 2023, at the Mini- Chamber, County Hall in Parliament Buildings, for the final day of the public hearings.
