Leaders from Kisii and Nyamira have condemned the actions of Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) officials who allegedly stripped naked the KCSE candidates at Nyambaria Boys High School during a search for prohibited examination materials.
The students recently staged a protest, alleging harassment and intimidation by officials from KNEC.
In a joint statement, politicians, led by parliamentary Chief Whip Sylvanus Osoro, accused the officials of maliciously targeting the reputation of Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu, a local figure.
“We have confidence in divine intervention to ensure the students successfully navigate the examinations,” he expressed.
Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo joined Osoro in condemning the officials’ conduct, emphasizing that no law authorizes the stripping of candidates during examination monitoring.
“I sit in the parliamentary education committee but and I testify here we did not find any cheating information about 2022 National examination where Nyambaria topped and that has attracted malice from its enemies to blur their star for success,” he stated.
Kisii County Woman Representative Doris Aburi decried the officials’ behavior as a violation of human rights and called for the arrest and legal prosecution of those involved.
She questioned the motives behind exposing students in public, emphasizing that private body parts should not be subjected to examination procedures.
West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka pledged to address the issue in parliament, advocating for the formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the implicated KNEC officials.
“Such actions could induce psychological fear among candidates, potentially affecting their performance,” Mogaka decried.
Additional leaders, including Zaheel Jhandah, Dr. Charles Onchoke, Patrick Osero, Japhet Nyakundi, and Innocent Obiri, raised similar concerns, calling for a thorough investigation into the alleged malpractices.
The leaders’ expressions of concern followed reported KCSE examination malpractices in Nyamira County, resulting in the suspension of the principals of Nyambaria Boys’ and Sironga Girls’ schools by the Teachers’ Service Commission.
Despite police reports indicating arrests related to examination papers, Nyamira County Commissioner Ones Kytha assured the public that normalcy had returned to the institution, cautioning against the spread of rumors and acknowledging isolated incidents that might impact the overall examination process.
By Enock Okong’o
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