This archive report was first published on 9 November 2019.
Kenya's Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has announced plans to review the rules governing private examination centers following a series of cheating scandals during the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
According to Magoha, most incidents of malpractices were reported among privately registered candidates and private schools in the first week of the KCSE exams.
Magoha decried the evolution of cheating methods, which have posed greater challenges to examination officials. He noted that the cheating cartels have become more sophisticated, making it difficult for officials to detect.
Some of the cheating methods include impersonation, where imposters replace photos of genuine candidates with their own, and the use of mobile phones to receive answers from an unknown source.
Magoha said that over 50 mobile phones have been impounded across the country, with seven of them being confiscated from Diffu and Tawakal centres in Garissa County.
He commended the efforts of the multi-agency team monitoring the exams, including the area chief who identified concealed phones at St Teresa's private examination centre in Nairobi.
Magoha also praised the two police constables who busted the cheating syndicate in Kisii, promising to request the President to promote them for their diligence and honesty.
