Detectives have arrested a university student suspected of playing a central role in a syndicate involved in the circulation of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination materials.
The suspect, identified as John Odhiambo Opiyo, a student at Kibabii University, was apprehended in Bungoma following investigations into the alleged distribution of examination papers.
Police reportedly recovered a mobile phone believed to have been used to share the examination materials. The device is expected to form part of the evidence as investigators pursue the case.
Opiyo is being held at Bungoma Police Station as detectives prepare an inventory of the recovered items ahead of further investigations.
The arrest came as more than one million candidates across the country began their KCSE theory examinations, raising renewed concerns over examination integrity and attempts to compromise the national assessment.
Authorities also reported suspected examination malpractice incidents in Garissa and Wajir, with investigations underway to establish those behind the alleged irregularities.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said this year's KCSE candidature had crossed the one-million mark for the first time, representing a 5.27 per cent increase from the 2025 registration.
Speaking during the opening of an examination container in Borabu, Nyamira County, Ogamba said the government had put in place arrangements to administer the examinations in more than 10,000 centres countrywide.
Meanwhile, education officials in different regions have intensified measures to safeguard the examinations, including enhanced security, special transportation arrangements and closer monitoring of candidates and examination centres.
In Narok, County Education Director Peter Magiri cautioned school heads against possible examination cheating involving smartwatches, urging them to install wall clocks in examination rooms to help candidates manage their time.
In the North Eastern region, helicopters have been deployed to transport examination materials to areas facing security and logistical challenges, while security has been reinforced in Dadaab's Hagadera, Ifo and Dagahaley refugee camps.
The government has also relocated candidates from Sessi and St Mary's Mixed schools in Moyale, Marsabit County, to safer examination centres following security concerns along the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
The KCSE examinations are being administered under heightened surveillance as authorities seek to curb malpractice and protect the credibility of the national assessment.
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