By Reuben Olita
Kenya National Union of Teachers Teso Branch has cried foul over, alleged manipulation of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations that were released recently by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
Addressing mourners during the burial of Mzee Patrick Kabai Ikobo, aged 88 years at Machakusi village in Teso South Sub County, the branch Executive Secretary Geoffrey Ekasiba, said KNEC should come clear over malpractices that shrouded the national exams that has affected over 1.4million candidates who sat for the exams.
KNUT Executive Secretary Geoffrey Ekasiba addressing mourners during the burial of Mzee Patrick Kabai Ikobo, 88, at Machakusi village today. Photo: Reuben Olita
” Schools which are philanthropic have taken KNEC to court over, alleged irregularities detected in the exams which the examining body and the Ministry of Education has admitted, wondering how poor schools can raise levies to hire lawyers to contest the results.
Ekasiba added: ” Worse still the cases have been earmarked for hearing in February 2024 wondering who will listen to them since most students would have reported to their various secondary schools.”
Ekasiba cited one anomaly where all candidates in a school in Isiolo registered identical marks of 75 in science with another school posting identical marks of 83 in the same subject.
“KNEC has contributed to all this mess, and it should move with speed to bring sanity to the national exams. There was no hurry in release the results that had tainted KNEC’s name, and leaving the country crying,” he said.
He decried the manner in which some top schools in Teso region, like St Teresa Chakol Girls which produced the top girl in 2019 KCPE but failed to produced a single students with 400 marks and above in this year’s exams.
Ekasiba also took issue with the Teachers Service Commission for shortlisting 148,000 teachers for promotion, and yet only 36,000 are required to take up the positions. He noted that the ministry should have used databank to identify teachers who suit those positions.
County Kuppet Executive Secretary Moffats Okisai said plans by the ministry of education to increase lunch fees for dayschools from Ksh 10,000 to Ksh15,000 in 2024 is food for thought, challenging parents to keep part of their incomes for fees instead of overspending during Christmas festivities.
” Parents should keep fees instead of relying on harambees. They should also encourage their children to burn charcoal, which can be sold for January fees,” he said.
He warned parents that from 2024, parents who will not take their children to form one will be arrested and taken to prison which have been built in various regions like Osuret and Malaba.
The late Kabai was the brother to former Malaba Town Council chairman John Ikokony, uncle to contractor John Ikobo and in-law to former Malaba Municipality Manager Roseline Ashep
