Law enforcement agencies have intensified action against exam malpractice in the ongoing KCSE, arresting 26 additional suspects over the last few days.
The latest detentions include nine students, fifteen examination officials, a school cook, and a civilian, taking the total number of people apprehended in the scandal to 71 since the start of the examinations.
Oceania Junior Secondary School in Mombasa, with its exams conducted at the Shelly Beach centre, continues to feature prominently in the investigations. Those arrested at the institution include the centre manager, Edinah Furaha Nelson; invigilators Omar Rashid Mzungu, Collins
Oduor Oteyo, Steven Kimani Kamau, Lucy Awino Odhiambo, and Mwanajuma Zami Chale; and the school cook, Lina Owiti. Six students from the same school were also among those taken into custody.
In Bungoma County, authorities detained five invigilators from St. Cecilia Secondary School. The suspects are Winny Musamala, Mercy Loponi, Annette Oswani, Rose Barasa, and Charles Wafula. Their arrest comes as investigations expand beyond Mombasa to other counties facing similar exam malpractice challenges.
Migori County’s St. Anne’s Sunrise Secondary School also saw the arrest of Benard Otieno, the deputy centre manager, and invigilator George Oudo.
At Agoro Sare Secondary School, invigilators James Nyasani Nyakundi and Peter Odhiambo Sima were taken into custody. In Bungoma, Friends Kaptola Secondary School witnessed the detention of a civilian, Alvin Nyongesa, who is reported to have no formal role at the school but was allegedly involved in the cheating.
Additional students were arrested from different counties: one each from Magunga, Sangailu, and Sosiani secondary schools, while six others were from Oceania Junior Secondary School. The arrests reflect a coordinated effort by authorities to tackle the spread of exam fraud across the country.
Officials say the crackdown aims to uphold the integrity of the national examinations and ensure that students and school staff adhere to the rules. The education sector has expressed concern over repeated cases of malpractice and emphasized the need for strict enforcement to protect the credibility of KCSE results. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities warning that more arrests could follow as the examinations continue.
