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A section of lawmakers from Kisii and Nyamira have voiced concerns over the manner in which the government is handling cases of cheating in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in the region.

The 10 lawmakers sensationally claimed that candidates from the region are being stripped naked by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) officials in the pretext of conducting searches on them. They claimed the candidates are being taken through dehumanising and traumatising procedures before being allowed to sit for the day’s examination papers.

Led by Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro, the MPs claimed the students have been subjected to dehumanising treatment and unjust profiling by KNEC officials through unwarranted and invasive searches.

Addressing a news conference at Parliament Buildings yesterday, the leaders questioned whether the focus put on the two counties is because Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu comes from the region as well as due to the fact that they produced the best school nationally in last year’s KCSE.

The lawmakers said the manner in which candidates from the region are being profiled and handled is both unacceptable and only meant to embarrass Machogu.

“We are wondering whether some people want to embarrass the Education CS since he comes from the Gusii region or they are jealous that the region produced the best school nationally in KCSE and would see our children failing,” said Osoro.

Their sentiments come hardly a week after nine secondary school principals were suspended for allegedly taking part in exam malpractice across the country in the ongoing KCSE examination.

Last week, Machogu had disclosed that the most prevalent cases of examination malpractice this year include foreign materials in examination rooms, candidate impersonations and collusion between invigilators and candidates.