Speaking at Kandege Secondary School during a ‘prayer breakfast’ recently, Muhoroni MP Onyango K’Oyoo warned KSCE and KCPE candidates not to cheat. Stern action would be taken against teachers who help students cheat declared K’Oyoo and “cheating will not be tolerated” he declared. (See, ‘K’Oyoo warns candidates against cheating in KCPE, KCSE exams’, The Star).

Mr K’Oyoo is quite right of course and the Kenya Forum fully endorses what he says but what the Muhroni MP did not mention was his personal experience of such matters.

OUKO MURDER INQUIRY – K’OYOO’S TESTIMONY

In 1986 K’Oyoo was employed at the Post Office as an Assistant Senior Personnel officer but he ran in to a spot of trouble.

Giving testimony in October 1991 to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Death of Dr Robert Ouko, K’Oyoo explained how it all happened.

“I gave my relevant documents or certificates” to the employing officer, K’Oyoo said. He went on, “but I did not pass in Mathematics, I should have been graded in Division 3 but I was graded in Division 4.”

According to K’Oyoo the employing officer told him, “what I will do for you, as a favour, I will not document you. I will just employ you as a clerical officer”.

“In my records he reflected that I has passed Maths with a seven, so I was employed just like that without the certificates in the file”, K’Oyoo told the Commission.

According to K’Oyoo he later had a row with his colleague the man who had turned a blind eye to his lack of the relevant Maths certificate, “over football politics”. The matter of his missing certificate was raised and K’Oyoo was suspended.

To cut a long story short, K’Oyoo said he was reinstated after the intervention his friend Dr Robert Ouko, the then Minister for Industry and later of course Minister of Foreign Affairs until he was murdered at Got Alila Hill near his Koru farm on 13 February 1990.

“YOU LIED ABOUT YOUR EXAM RESULT… IS THAT RIGHT?”

The problem of K’Oyoo’s missing Maths certificate cropped up again however, on 17 January 1990 when he was again suspended from work. It was for this reason that K’Oyoo was frantically trying to reach Dr Ouko, according to his own testimony, on January 17 and 18, and February 4, 5, 6, 10 and 12, presumably to get him to once again intervene with his employer but the good Doctor did not live to do so.

At the Judicial Inquiry a Mr Ishan Kapila put this question to K’Oyoo: “I put it to you, Mr K’Oyoo… You and Mr Otieno [the “employing officer”] decided to lie when you applied for a job. It is not a question of a lack of documentation. You lied both of you. You lied about your exam result to get a higher job, is that right?”

Onyango K’Oyoo denied the allegation saying he had never presented a false certificate.

Muhoroni MP Onyango K’Oyoo has warned students against cheating in exams. There will be rejoicing in heaven.