Raila calls for commission of inquiry to audit KCSE results
By Carol Kamau/Samuel Musita
ODM leader Raila Odinga is proposing the formation of a commission of inquiry to audit the 2016 KCSE examination results.
In a statement Raila said the 2016 KCSE results do not reflect a normal curve in the performance of secondary school examinations and should as such be interrogated.
“This is the first time we have had such a massive failure at the secondary school level since 1963. Eliminating cheating, corruption and mismanagement alone cannot adequately explain this weird outcome” said the former Prime Minister.
He says having only 141 students from just a handful of schools, mostly based in Kiambu and Nairobi Counties, scoring A’s while 33,399 score E’s is abnormal and requires serious reflection by education policy makers.
He added “Analysing the current results, one realises that of the 141 straight As, the bulk, 86, came from Nairobi and Kiambu counties with the remaining 45 counties sharing 55 As”
“ Does this mean that in the past, dating as far back as 1963, other schools got As mainly as a result of cheating?” he posed.
He says this is the first time such a massive failure at the secondary school level has been experienced since 1963.
The former Prime Minister further says disciplinary action should be taken against persons who have been interfering with the exam processes past and present to ensure examinations are credible.
His sentiments come a day after the Kenya National Union of Teachers-KNUT also queried the 2016 results .
KNUT wants the results to be recalled. KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion said they are convinced due process was not followed in the marking and releasing of the exams.
The union alleges raw marks were graded and the system used was not known at all with the same applying to all subjects, Humanities and Sciences.
KNUT also claims that apart from the massive errors in the computation of marks, cross checking, verification, validation and poor conversion of marks was also not done.
KNUT says KNEC owes the Kenyan public an explanation as to what exactly was different this year other than the explanation that there was reduced cheating.
