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Seven school heads arrested over exams cheating claims

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha. [File, Standard]

At least seven secondary school principals have been arrested in the last week in connection with Form Four examination irregularities.

And another seven supervisors are in custody over serious breaches of examinations security, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has said.

Those arrested are from the counties of Mandera, Kisii, Garissa, Kisumu and Homa Bay.

In Mandera County, the principal of El-Hagarsu Mixed Secondary School was arrested alongside two supervisors who were administering the examinations in the school.

In Homa Bay, the principal of Adaga Mixed Secondary School was arrested as two other principals from two schools in the county were being pursued, Magoha said.

In Kisii County, the headteacher of Kerongorori Secondary School alongside two supervisors attached to the institution is in custody.

Huda Secondary School principal in Garissa County has also been arrested.

And in Kisumu County, Magoha said the principal of Moro Mixed Secondary School and one supervisor were arrested for abetting cheating in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.

Cabinet secretary education George Magoha during an impromptu visit to Moi Girls high school in UasinGishu county on Tuesday April 6,2021. He said that the ministry is in control and no exam irregularities will be condoned to the last paper. [Christopher Kipsang,Standard]

Speaking after monitoring the administration of the examinations at Kenya High School in Nairobi, the CS said some examination officials and school principals were still keen on breaching examinations security.

“Although we have been decisive and ruthless in our pursuit of the masterminds of this unethical practice, we regrettably note that some of them are determined to go to any lengths to expose the contents of examination papers once they are released in the morning to schools after 6 am,” said Magoha.

He said security agents were pursuing an examination officer who exposed the contents of Agriculture paper 1.

Notorious regions for this year’s KCPE examination leakage have been listed as Fafi Sub-county in Garissa, Suba and Rachuonyo sub-counties in Homa Bay, Mandera Central Sub-county, Kenyenya Sub-county in Kisii, and Nyakach Sub-county in Kisumu.

In all these cases, examination officials and centre managers colluded to aid in early exposure of the examinations after the papers left the containers.

Magoha, however, said the actions of the few officials had not dented the credibility of the examinations.

“I wish to assure the country that these attempts to access the examinations have not interfered with the credibility of the examinations as the exposed questions were never accessed by candidates,” said Magoha.

He, however, called on examination administrators to double efforts in being vigilant.

He said arrangements had been made for candidates who have already completed their examinations to travel in and out of the five counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado and Nakuru that are under the cessation of movement orders.

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