Knec says not to blame for irregularities

By Augustine Oduor

The Kenya National Examination Council has come out strongly to defend the administration process of national examinations even as members of parliament push for a forensic audit.

In an interview with the Standard, Knec secretary Paul Wasanga said the examination management process is watertight from the time the questions are set to the time they are delivered to police armories.

Members of parliament would however, take none of it as they insisted that the credibility of national examinations is at stake.

The MPs, led by Dujis legislator Aden Duale demanded that an audit of results for primary and secondary national examinations be carried out to cover the past five years to ascertain their authenticity.

Knec Secretary Paul Wasanga. Photo:File/Standard

They also demanded that firm action be taken against Knec officers who might have been involved in examination leakages in 2011 that led to the cancellation of results of about 3,000 candidates in some 154 centers.

At the center of the storm is why results of some 1,600 candidates were canceled in Garissa County in the north Eastern region. Also being questioned is why the results of a candidate who died long before the examinations were written had his results released as well.

Speaking on Sunday, Wasanga explained the process of examination administration and exonerated the Council from blame. He said quite a lot of people are involved in setting of questions but noted that none of them would have an idea of the final ones used as it is done electronically, ruling out any possibility of leakage at this point.

"Several teachers may set several questions from one topic which are finally sent to the question bank. But the final question is picked by a machine based on knowledge, composition, application, synthesis, analysis and evaluation," he said.

Wasanga said the last time an individual comes into direct contact with the examinations is when they are proof reading the questions they set before they are sent to the questions bank.

"After that the process is very tight that leakage is not very easy," he said.

He said printing of the examinations is done overseas and preserved with tamper proof seal.

"The process here is computer to paper. They are packed in polybags and any leakage here means slitting the entire package which is not necessarily easy to seal," he said.

The final stage he said is when Knec receives the examinations from the printer. "The examination papers come when they are already packed. The only thing we do is to categorise them per school and as per the days’ timetable schedule."

He added: "The moment these examinations leave Knec to the regions, they are under the custody of the police, District Education Officer, the education examination officer of the zone and the supervisors. The 170 Knec officials do not have direct control at that point."

Wasanga said in case of examination leakage occurs at Knec, the process is stopped immediately and new ones administered as investigations are launched, like was the case in 1992.

"This year the council detected that a paper was widely in public domain. The examination was suspended for about a week and another paper given. But what we hear today are mere collusions to get excerpts of the question papers," he said.