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Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that 621 candidates sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2024 were implicated in exam malpractice.
This figure represents 0.064 percent of the total 965,501 candidates who took the exams this year.
Ogamba shared these details on Friday, explaining that the offenses included possession of unauthorized materials, use of mobile phones, collusion, sharing images of exam papers on social media, and impersonation. He also pointed out that these incidents were recorded in 198 out of 10,754 exam centers, which accounts for 1.841 percent of all centers.
The Education Cabinet Secretary assured the public that all reported cases are under investigation, and those found guilty will face appropriate action. He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of national exams.
In addition, Ogamba provided an update on the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), which has increased its number of examiners to 32,800 in 2024, up from 29,876 in the previous year, to ensure efficient and accurate marking. He also mentioned that the marking of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) is already underway, with KNEC working on reports to be shared with schools and students by January 2025.
Ogamba noted that over 1.3 million candidates sat for the KPSEA exams across 32,573 centers, supported by 617 distribution centers. Despite challenges such as heavy rains and security concerns in certain areas, no candidate was excluded from the exams, including 28 candidates who sat for their tests while hospitalized.
He praised the collaborative efforts of the multi-agency team involved in managing the exam process, which included representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of ICT, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and other stakeholders.
In terms of funding, Ogamba revealed that the government has allocated Sh65.2 billion for free secondary education, with Sh35.3 billion going to junior schools and Sh9.36 billion for primary schools. Additionally, Sh18 billion has been set aside for the construction of 18,000 classrooms, with the first phase delivering 3,500 classrooms. Phase two, which will add 7,500 more classrooms, is underway and expected to be completed by January 2025. The National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) is also supporting the construction of an additional 6,800 classrooms.
Ogamba also announced that Sh1 billion has been allocated to Nairobi County to address its unique infrastructure challenges. To further support the roll-out of junior secondary education, over 46,000 intern teachers have been made permanent, and an additional 20,000 interns are being recruited. Furthermore, 60,000 primary school teachers have been trained to teach junior secondary school (JSS).
