Education CS has restored faith in national exams

When Fred Matiang'i assumed the helm of the Education ministry, he took up the job with refreshing gusto. He made radical changes within the Kenya National Examination Council, sending home senior managers for exam irregularities. He appointed George Magoha as Knec chairman. Alongside the radical measures he put in place at Knec, the CS made impromptu visits to schools, catching school administrators unawares. This earned him praise and criticism in equal measure.

One year later, those reforms have borne fruit, with the delivery of clean examination results. The credibility of our national examinations has been restored, with pupils in rural and urban schools getting equal chance of excelling. Dr Matiang'i has promised that Form One students will join their respective schools by January 9, 2017.

More fundamentally, Matiang'i and Prof Magoha's exploits have demonstrated what leadership and the will to reform can do to institutions. It took their singular determination with the backing of the top leadership of the country for the two State officials to deliver on what seemed impossible.