Tension as Oriwo Boys’ KCSE results withheld over ‘irregularities’

Oriwo Boys High School

Oriwo Boys High School in Rachuonyo North Sub County whose KCSE results have been withheld. 

Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group

A sombre mood engulfed Oriwo Boys High School in Homa Bay County after the Education ministry withheld its Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam results over possible irregularities.

Candidates who sent messages to the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) portal to check their results received an error message.

Principal Maurice Akal said he is yet to receive official communication from Knec.

“The results have been withheld. We’re yet to be told the reason why,” he said on phone.

At least 400 candidates had been registered at the school.

The school was one of the institutions to watch, having been named among the most improved schools in last year’s exams.

In other schools, teachers were recalled from holiday to help in retrieving the results. However, there were no activities going on at Oriwo Boys after the results were released by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

Investigation

As he announced the results on Saturday, Prof Magoha said a “very big school” had suffered withholding of results and added that an investigation was being conducted.

When the Nation arrived at the institution, no one was in the compound.

At the administration block, the list of some of the top candidates in previous exams hang on the wall. It remains to be seen whether new information about the 2021 exam will be added to the list.

At the same time, there were celebrations at Mbita High School, Agoro Sare High School, Orero Boys and Asumbi Girls, which were among the top schools.

Mbita High School had a mean score of 9.16 up from 8.9 last year.

Fifteen students had A plain, A- (83), B+ (72), B (62), B- (58), C+ (29), C (23), C- (5), D+ (2), D (2).

Asumbi Girls, another national school in the county, had a mean score of 8.812. Two candidates scored A plain, A- (58), B+ (107), B (107), B- (98), C+ (53), C (28), C- (3), D+ (1).

At Agoro Sare High School in Rachuonyo South, 14 candidates had A. And at Orero Boys, at least four students had A plain, with the school’s principal, Dickens Bula, saying, they expected good results.