Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia has formally petitioned the speaker of the national assembly to demand a public statement from the ministry of education and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) regarding the non-grading of Kenya Sign Language (KSL) for normal hearing students in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
In a letter dated January 14, 2026, Kaguchia noted that although KSL was offered, examined, and marked nationwide, the subject was excluded from the computation of final grades for normal students.
He said this decision disadvantaged thousands of candidates who had expected the subject to count towards their overall performance.
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The MP described the move as procedurally unfair, inconsistent and discriminatory, citing that KNEC registered students, administered the exams and marked the scripts, only to later omit KSL from grading without any official notice.
He further noted that around 12,000 students nationwide were affected, some of whom performed exceptionally well in the subject, recording A grades.
Kaguchia has outlined five questions for the ministry of education, seeking explanations on why KSL was excluded, why no communication was issued and what remedial measures will be taken to address the plight of affected students.
The letter was submitted to the speaker for onward transmission to the ministry of education and KNEC for a formal public statement, highlighting growing concerns about fairness and transparency in the handling of elective subjects under the KCSE.
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This comes shortly after Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah raised similar concerns over the grading of Kenya Sign Language in the 2025 KCSE examinations. In his January 12, 2026 letter to KNEC, Omtatah faulted the council for excluding KSL scores from the final grade computation for hearing candidates while treating it as a compulsory language for hearing‑impaired students.
He argued that the inconsistency violated principles of fairness and inclusive education, noting that schools had invested resources and trained teachers with the expectation that KSL would be graded like any other examinable subject. Omtatah demanded that KNEC recall and recompute all affected results, provide nationwide data on the number of candidates impacted, and issue a clear policy directive to guide current Form Three and Form Four students. He warned that failure to act within seven days would compel him to seek legal redress in the High Court to safeguard students’ rights.
By Kithinji Njeru
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