ODM: Jubilee targeting us on exam leakage

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is now claiming that it is being targeted in the ongoing exam irregularities.

The opposition has alleged that inspectors have been dispatched to several schools in its stronghold Nyanza region supposedly to look for leaked examination papers.

In what was described as 'community marginalization,' the party said it had established that no inspector had been sent to other regions other than Nyanza.

"This development is truly unfortunate. It is part of the pattern by Jubilee regime to target communities and regions with a view to keeping them down and marginalizing them," read a statement by ODM chair John Mbadi.

Mbadi said officers from the Ministry of Education had spent time in Homa Bay School on Monday searching for leaked papers in questionable places while exams were ongoing.

Yesterday, the inspectors are said to have spent time in Kanga and Rapogi High schools for the same.

Urging leaders from the region to deliberate on an appropriate action, Mbadi argued that the exercise is a scapegoat mechanism by the government to avoid taking responsibility on exam irregularities: "We caution the Ministry of Education that we will not take this lightly. No candidate in Nyanza will pay the price for the failures of this regime."

The Suba legislator added that the inspection has given an ethnic dimension to the large-scale failure by the education ministry and the Kenya National Examinations Council to administer credible exams: "This is as a result of the disquiet among teachers with its outcome being to intimidate candidates in Nyanza and cause massive poor results or cancellation."

Earlier, education committee chair Sabina Chege had branded the police as the responsible culprits for the leakage saying that they unseal the papers, photograph the questions before sending the images to students and teachers through social media.

However, police spokesperson Charles Owino has dared the chair to report to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)if she has sufficient evidence on the claims.