KCSE exam managers, candidates nabbed in exam cheating crackdown

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has disclosed five cases of irregularities witnessed during the first week of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations that kicked off on Monday, November 6, 2017.

In a statement issued on Sunday, KNEC Chairman George Magoha said in one of the examination centres, KNEC officials nabbed exam managers who had attempted to open examination material before the scheduled time “with an intention of benefitting some candidates”.

A female KCSE candidate at Nairobi’s Our Lady of Mercy Girls, Shauri Moyo was found with a mobile phone at the school. The candidate is in police custody and will be arraigned in court on Monday 13, 2017.

A male candidate at Furqan Integrated in Wajir County was also found with a mobile phone, which he had used to send purported examination questions to another candidate of a school in Nairobi. The candidate is in police custody and will be arraigned in court tomorrow.

A male student in Langata Private Centre was found to be in possession of unauthorised examination material. KNEC noted that he was arraigned in court on November 10, 2017 and released on bond.

St Theresa Bikeke Secondary School, Trans Nzoia, Principal and Chemistry teacher David Wafula were arraigned in court on Thursday, November 9, 2017. This was after Mr Wafula sent home KCSE Chemistry questions to a principal in Elgeyo Marakwet County having received it from a Mr. Jerry Ndikolo of Sawagongo secondary school in Siaya who has also been arraigned in court.

Prof. Magoha, however, noted that all cases of exam cheating had been detected and addressed before any form of leakage would occur.

“Fortunately all the cases were discovered and nipped in the bud before the affected examination questions could be relayed to candidates before the scheduled time of the papers,” said the KNEC boss.

He warned that the exam body would remain vigilant in its quest to guard the national examinations credibility and integrity.

“The council wishes to state that its officials will remain vigilant in implementing measures to ensure the highest form of credibility and integrity of national examinations. Firm action will be taken against schools, principals, candidates or any other person found to engage in examination irregularities of any kind,” the KNEC boss warned.

A total of 1.6 million candidates were registered for this year’s national exams. 1,003,556 sat for the KCPE exam while 615,773 are sitting for KCSE.