This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
Five students from Huma Girls Secondary School in Kisumu are facing a crisis after their principal, Pamela Nandi, refused to hand over their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results slips due to outstanding fees.
The students, who sat their KCSE exams in 2017, were supposed to join university in 2018 but were forced to defer their studies after failing to secure the release of their certificates in time.
According to reports, Mrs. Nandi has locked the certificates in her office, insisting that the parents must clear all the arrears before she can release them.
One of the parents, a single mother, expressed fear that she cannot manage to raise the Sh79,000 balance on time to allow her daughter join school on September 2.
“I am afraid that we could lose the opportunity after my daughter gained admission to pursue Bachelor of Education (Science) through government sponsorship,” said the distraught mother.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Act, 2012, states that certificates issued by KNEC shall not be withheld from candidates by any person or institution.
Kisumu County Director of Education Isaac Nyang’au Atebe has cautioned school principals against detaining certificates for any kind of reason.
Alego Usonga MP Samwel Atandi has promised to intervene in the matter and directed the affected students to go to his constituency office for assistance.
