Knec board appoints acting chief executive officer

Mercy Gathigia Karogo was Thursday appointed acting chief executive officer of the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec).

The council’s board chairman, George Magoha, said Mrs Karogo will hold the position until a permanent executive is recruited.

She replaces Joseph Kivilu who together with other eight senior managers at the council were suspended on Tuesday to pave the way for investigations into irregularities in last year’s national exams.

Mrs Karogo, who has once acted as chief executive officer of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum development (KICD), has extensive experience in the education sector where she started as a secondary school teacher before becoming a lecturer at the Kenya Polytechnic.

Management

“She has held a number of other senior management positions in a career spanning approximately 30 years,” said Prof Magoha in a statement.

Until her appointment, she was senior deputy director at KICD. Mrs Karogo has a Master of Science degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT), a Bachelor of Education degree in Business Studies and Economics from the University of Nairobi and a diploma in technical education (English and Business Studies) from the Kenya Technical Teachers College (KTTC).

At the same time, contracted professionals who were involved in the administration of last year’s national examinations have protested delay in the release of the their payment.

Knec is supposed to release Sh1.2 billion as payment of allowances but the suspended chief executive officer had not signed the cheque by the time of his exit.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairman Omboko Milemba said it is unfair for the council to continue to hold the dues.