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{
    "id": 325782,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/325782/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 452,
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    "content": "will see a very hefty fine of not less Kshs1,000,000. Some fines are up to Kshs2,000,000. One will have to think again. If one is getting a few coins to get some examination papers to try to assist a student to cheat, one will pay heavily. It is also encouraging that, whereas in the past, under the old Act, one would just serve a few months in prison, we are now looking at long periods of imprisonment. Under Clause 27, upon conviction, one would serve imprisonment of a term not exceeding ten years. This is for being in unauthorised possession of examination materials. It would be as dangerous as having drugs like cocaine. If you are caught with national examination materials, under Clause 27, you will be in very serious trouble. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is a lot of sense in what the Minister has said. We need to put this law in place before the commencement of our national examinations, which will start on 15th October. Therefore, we need to move with urgency to have it passed. The last Kenya National Examination Council Act was enacted in 1980. I was then a little boy in primary school. I had not seen a computer in my local school. If you were shown a computer in those days, you would have thought it was a television set, because we had very limited technologies in the rural areas, where some of us grew up. Looking at the time that has passed, first forward to 15th October, 2012, over 22 years later; technology is almost magical. We are seeing young people, just through their mobile phones, mobilising and bringing down governments. We have seen the Arab spring, beginning with what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. We have seen dictators who thought that they were all powerful, come down. We have seen young people communicate through Tweeter and Face book and bring down governments. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is now very easy to manipulate technology to cheat in national examinations. We are saying that the technological advantages that have come for the benefit of our citizens have also put new tools in the hands of our young people and fraudsters, who can actually manipulate the process and cheat in national examinations. This Bill seeks to deal with that problem as technology advances. We know that we can now deal with the new ways of cheating in national exams. This will go a long way in guaranteeing the integrity of our examination process. This Bill has gone through wide consultations. There has been a stakeholders’ input, following wide consultations, leading to this quality piece of legislation. I want to congratulate my senior learned friend for bringing it to the House. With those remarks, I whole heartedly second the Bill."
}