This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On Thursday, November 7, 2019, a magistrate in Nairobi made a decision that gave 27 KCSE candidates a reprieve. The candidates had been accused of cheating during an exam at an Eastleigh centre.
According to reports, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations had sought to detain the candidates pending investigations. However, Makadara chief magistrate Heston Nyaga turned down the application, freeing the suspects.
The candidates, all adult private KCSE candidates, were arrested at St. Theresa's primary school while writing their Chemistry Paper 2 tests. They were found with mobile phones, which led to their arrest.
Police claimed that the suspects had answer sheets for the chemistry test on their phones, sent via WhatsApp. The phones were recovered and will be subjected to forensic analysis to retrieve the WhatsApp and text messages.
However, the suspects' lawyers argued that detaining them would be unfair, as they were not in a position to interfere with investigations. The magistrate agreed and released the candidates on cash bail of Sh20, 000 each.
The suspects were allowed to sit the remaining tests according to provisions of the law. They will also be required to appear before the investigating officer, Detective Christopher Samoei, for further investigations.
