By Issa Hussein and George Saygie
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
More than 20 shops were looted and roads in Garissa Town barricaded as students from schools whose Form Four exam results were cancelled went on the rampage on Tuesday.
The students and some residents overwhelmed riot police officers who fled. The officers had earlier in the morning dispersed the rioters, but they regrouped and staged more massive protests.
Business came to a standstill in the town with shops broken into and looted. (SEE IN PICTURES: Students demo in Garissa)
A crisis meeting
The students, chanting anti-government slogans, vowed to continue with the riots until the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) explains why their results were cancelled.
The protesters claimed it was not possible for candidates from 18 secondary schools out of 20 in the county to be affected by irregularities in last year’s exam.
The riots come a day after leaders from Garissa County held a crisis meeting over the matter. (READ:2,900 denied results over cheating)
Speaking at the forum, Garissa mayor Ismail Garath wondered why Knec had not explained the cancellation of the results.
“We are still in the dark as we eagerly await the explanation from the exam agency. We want to know what transpired, why only this region was most affected,” the mayor said.
Separately, students of Enelerai Secondary School in Mulot Division, Narok County on Tuesday held a peaceful demonstration to protest their school’s poor performance in last year’s KCSE examination.
The students attributed the poor results to laxity on their teachers’ part and incompetent leadership.
The school, which registered 31 candidates, had a mean of 3.60 with the best student scoring a mean grade of C minus.
Led by their prefects, the students walked for 10 kilometres to seek audience with the area education officer.
Narok South quality assurance and standards officer Joshua Oketch promised that the education office will seek solutions to their complaints.