Release answer sheets to all schools, Omtatah compels KNEC

Activist Okiya Omtatah in an earlier event (Courtesy). Filed a suit for the release of all KCPE and KCSE 2017 marked answer sheets from KNEC.

By Abdirahman Khalif

NAIROBI—The national examiner has been compelled to release marked answer sheets to schools by a rights activist Mr. Okiya Omtatah who went to court.

Mr Omtatah in his suit against the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) argued that failure to release the scripts for primary and secondary school tests is a violation of fundamental right.

He added that all the candidates who have sat those tests have every right to access the marked papers.

He observed that it has been the law for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) answer sheets to be kept away from students by Knec.

“It’s in the best interest of the children that the examination results be versatile and reliable and that the process of collating as well as tallying be as credible and transparent as possible,” Mr Omtatah said.

Teachers, too, have a right to access the answer sheets in order to gauge their students’ performance and facilitate school-based audit of results with the aim of improving them, noted Mr Omtatah.

He further stated that the release of the papers would ensure validity, reliability and accuracy of marks allocated and eliminate anomalies such as the possibility of wrong results being awarded.

H also insisted that the release of the answer sheets will not tamper with the integrity of the examination or the process nor infringe on the right of anyone’s privacy as far as Section 42(2) of the knec Act

Mr Omtatah wants the High Court to urge Knec to release certified copies of all the marked answer sheets for this year’s KCPE and KCSE exams.

Justice John Mativo validated the case as urgent and directed that the matter be heard on a priority basis on January 24.