Parents found assisting their children to cheat in national exams could find themselves without KCSE and KCPE certificates.
This is according to Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang who said that the government will recall certificates of parents and teachers aiding in exam cheating.
The tough speaking PS further stated that only exam center managers will be allowed to have mobile phones in exam rooms as the government tries to stem run away exam malpractices.
The PS was speaking on Monday at the Kenya School of Government in Kabete, Kiambu County, during the issuance of security padlocks and keys to be used in securing exam containers.
At the same event, Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed fired a warning shot saying those found culpable of attempts to cheat, collude or to compromise the examination process will be apprehended on the spot, de-registered, charged and prosecuted.
She also stated that 30 examination centres had been placed under high dependency surveillance and 192 others under amplified surveillance based on reported examination malpractice trends from 2015 to 2017.
The CS spoke as she issued padlocks and keys for 459 examination containers to Deputy County Commissioners and the Sub-County Directors of Education.
CS Amina added that, in order to seal loopholes for any examination irregularities, all containers will only be opened at 5:30am and no centre should start distributing examination papers before the stipulated starting time.
“The containers will have a double locking system. The Sub-County Directors of Education (SCDE) and the Deputy County Commissioners will each have the keys to secure and ensure they open and close the containers every day during the examination process,” said the CS.
She added that 224 security officers will escort the examination material from the KNEC warehouse to the examination storage facilities, after which they will be handed over to the sub-county Directors of Education and Deputy County Commissioners.
“All question papers will be escorted by armed security officers every day of the examination from collection to return of the answer scripts to the container and back to KNEC.
“We have identified several examination cartels that have been behind the sale of fake papers to unsuspecting parents and candidates. I will engage my colleagues at the Ministry of Interior, National Treasury, the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine forensic means to deal with the proceeds accrued from this illegal exercise,” added Amb. Amina.
The CS further stated that arrangements had been made to allow candidates in schools affected by the recent tribal clashes also sit for the exams.
“I will visit the affected areas in Molo, Njoro and Narok tomorrow (Tuesday October 16, 2018) to ensure that the alternative systems are in place and fully operational. I will also visit the alternative centres in Kibra to ascertain readiness,” she said.