NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 — Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has protested the exclusion of Kenya Sign Language (KSL) from the computation of final KCSE aggregate scores for non-hearing-impaired candidates, terming the move discriminatory, unlawful and a violation of students’ legitimate expectations.
In a formal protest letter to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), Omtatah said the grading approach used in the 2025 KCSE examinations unfairly locked out hearing candidates who sat KSL from benefiting from their scores, even though the subject is listed as a technical subject under Category 5 of the 8-4-4 curriculum.
Omtatah demanded an explanation of why KNEC treated KSL differently for two sets of candidates: for hearing-impaired learners, the subject was computed as a compulsory language alongside English and Kiswahili, while for hearing candidates, the KSL score was allegedly excluded from the final aggregate altogether.
“This alteration in policy appears to have been implemented without prior notification to stakeholders, without public participation, and after students had already registered for and sat the examination based on the long-standing understanding that KSL would be graded like any other technical subject,” Omtatah wrote in a letter submitted on Tuesday.
Unfair administrative action
He said the move amounts to an unfair administrative action that violates the Constitution and the legitimate expectations of students who selected the subject in good faith.
“Schools invested resources, employed trained teachers, and allocated instructional time on the understanding that KSL would be treated as any other KNEC-approved subject. This action undermines equity, fairness and inclusive education,” he said.
The Senator is now demanding that KNEC, within seven days, supplies data on how many candidates were affected by the grading decision and recalls and recomputes the results to include KSL in the aggregate scores for hearing candidates.
He also wants KNEC to issue an immediate policy clarification confirming that KSL will continue to be graded in line with its established categorisation for current Form Three and Form Four students.
In addition, Omtatah has called for the suspension of the 2026 KCSE registration process until the matter is conclusively resolved and a clear policy position communicated to all stakeholders.
“Failure to receive a substantive and satisfactory response will leave me with no alternative but to seek appropriate legal recourse, including petitioning the High Court,” he warned.
The dispute now sets the stage for a possible court battle over what Omtatah says is a post-examination policy shift that unfairly punished candidates who sat Kenya Sign Language as a technical subject.
