Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has opened a new battlefront with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), demanding an immediate recall and regrading of the 2025 KCSE results over what he terms "discriminatory" policies.

In a stinging letter to the KNEC CEO, the Senator argues that the council fundamentally bungled the grading of Kenya Sign Language (KSL), effectively punishing hearing students who chose the subject. The dispute centers on a quiet policy shift that excluded KSL marks from the final aggregate for hearing candidates, despite them having studied it as a technical subject for four years.

Ambushed by Policy

"This exclusion was implemented without prior notice, public participation, or any formal circular," Omtatah charges. The Senator revealed that while KSL is treated as a compulsory language for hearing-impaired students (Group 1), hearing students registered for it under Category 5 (Technical Subjects). [...](asc_slot://start-slot-3)Yet, when the results were released, their performance in KSL was allegedly ignored in the final mean grade computation.

This move, Omtatah argues, violates the principles of legitimate expectation. "Students selected this subject in Form Two believing it would count. To change the rules after the game has been played is not just unfair; it is illegal."

The Ripple Effect

The implications of this alleged oversight are far-reaching for the affected 2025 cohort:

• University Entry Denied: By excluding a core technical subject, many students may have missed the C+ university cut-off or failed to qualify for specific cluster courses.
• Wasted Investment: Schools have spent millions employing specialized KSL teachers and equipping facilities, investments rendered moot if the subject is treated as a non-scoring elective.
• Inclusion Setback: The policy disincentivizes hearing students from learning Sign Language, striking a blow against efforts to make KSL a lingua franca for inclusivity in Kenya.

A Seven-Day Ultimatum

Omtatah has given KNEC seven days to provide data on the number of affected candidates and to institute a regrading process. If the council fails to act, the matter is likely to head to court, adding another layer of controversy to an examination cycle already marred by debates over the new university funding model. For the students who spent years mastering the language of silence, the Senator’s voice is the only one currently speaking for them.