‘I did so well, but Knec called me a cheat twice’

By Boniface Ongeri

Despite emerging top in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in North Eastern Province, last year, Abdijabar Abdisiraj, 21, loathes the mention of Kenya National Examination Council (Knec).

Twice he scored A- (minus) but the examination body questioned the feat and tagged a ‘Y’ on his grades in succession. He came to be known as the ‘Y’ boy among his friends, a tag he has since dropped after excelling with a B+ in his third attempt.

"I was forced to set the record straight that I am no cheat," he told The Standard recently.

A ‘Y’ means the scores were obtained with irregularities.

First time

The first time he sat for KCSE was in 2006 at Wajir Boys High School. He was in the newspaper for the wrong reasons when the results came out. While he had scored A-, Knec said he had colluded with others in his school.

Most students interviewed said they could not believe it. His school report says he had maintained position one in Form One and Two, dropped to three in Form Three but regained the top position in Form Four. The confidence he had accrued in fellow students started fading.

In 2007, he registered for the KCSE.

"When the results were announced, he had scored an A- (minus) with 79.105 points.

"But when I received the result slip, I had a Y in mathematics. It was devastating," he recalls.

"It was painful. I settled for Bute Boys Secondary School in Wajir North District. And when last year KCSE results were announced, he was cautious. "Could it be another Y?"

It was, so the results didn’t endear him to Knec.

"I don’t think I can forgive them," he says. He intends to pursue Medicine.