A 31-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sitting the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations on behalf of another candidate at Rohi Boys High School in Nakuru County, raising fresh concerns over examination malpractice.
The suspect was apprehended on Wednesday, November 4, following an incident that raised concerns over examination integrity at the centre.
Nakuru County Director of Education Victoria Mulili confirmed the arrest, saying the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had taken over the matter for further investigations.
Mulili said education officials, working alongside officers from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), detected the alleged malpractice and moved swiftly to apprehend the suspect.
She warned that authorities were maintaining heightened vigilance to ensure all candidates sat their examinations without interference or unfair advantage.
Government intensifies crackdown on examination malpractice
The incident comes amid intensified efforts by the government to curb examination malpractice during this year's KCSE examinations, which have attracted 1,048,355 candidates across 10,693 examination centres countrywide.
The 2026 examination cycle is the first in which the number of registered KCSE candidates has surpassed the one-million mark.
KNEC has introduced stringent security measures targeting examination leaks, impersonation and other forms of cheating.
Among the measures, examination officials, including centre managers, supervisors and invigilators, are required to switch off their mobile phones and store them in secure lockers outside examination rooms.
Candidates are equally prohibited from entering examination rooms with wristwatches and electronic devices, with schools required to provide wall clocks.
Authorities have also tightened procedures for accessing examination materials, requiring examination containers to be opened at 7am and restricting access to authorised personnel with valid identification.
The written KCSE examinations, which began after oral and practical assessments in October, are scheduled to conclude on November 20.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has repeatedly called for strict adherence to examination regulations to safeguard the credibility of the national examinations and ensure fairness for all candidates.
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