Kenyans will know the best--performing schools and students from next year after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law a Bill that reinstates ranking according to performance in national exams.

The President assented to the Kenya National Examinations Council (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday making it compulsory for the examiner to rank schools based their performance in KCPE and KCSE.

The Bill was sponsored by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa (Ford--Kenya) and sought to overturn a ban on ranking imposed by former Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi in 2014. It received overwhelming support in the National Assembly and was easily adopted in early August.

The President's move means that Prof Kaimenyi’s ban has been overturned and that his successor in the ministry, Fred Matiang'i, would be expected to develop rules to ensure structured ranking.

When he imposed the ban Prof Kaimenyi, now the Land minister, said ranking was one of the contributors to school unrest, saying doing away with it would help restore calm.

However, that seemed not to be the case, as several schools experienced unrest this year even without ranking over the last two years.

FROM 'EXCITEMENT' TO 'CONFUSION'

The Bill sought to empower "the Kenya National Examination Council to rank schools and candidates based on the national examinations conducted and administered by the Council."

The President welcomed, it saying it will address problems encountered in ranking of schools in the past.

"The new law seeks to address the challenges facing ranking of schools and candidates like the current abolishment of the ranking system in national examinations without proper consultations.

"The law therefore, empowers the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) to rank schools and candidates based on the national examinations conducted and administered by the Council," said the President in a dispatch to newsrooms.

When it was brought up for debate in the House, members said ranking would boost performance as schools that perform poorly would strive to improve in succeeding exams.

"The excitement associated with [the] release of national examinations results is not there anymore and has been replaced by confusion as to which schools post improved results," Mr Wamalwa said when he tabled the Bill in the National Assembly.

When Prof Kaimenyi abolished school ranking in 2014, he cited the exercise as the cause of unethical practices by schools that led to exam cheating.

Some schools, he said then, were registering candidates in different streams from the rest to maintain top slots in the national examinations.

OTHER KEY BILLS SIGNED

The President also signed into law other key Bills, including the Access to Information Bill that compels public institutions to ensure information sought by citizens is made available.

The Bill was sponsored by Nyeri Woman Representative Priscilla Nyokabi and was among those that were supposed to be passed by Parliament by August 27.

The President also assented to the Controller of Budget Bill, the Community Land Bill, the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Bill, the Forest Conservation and Management Bill, the Lands Laws Bill, the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Bill and the Seeds and Plant Varieties (Amendment) Bill.