Man arrested for sitting KCPE exam on behalf of candidate

Emaraba Primary School pupils during their first paper on November 1, 2016. The school located within Kakamega town has 107 candidates sitting for KCPE exam that started Tuesday. [Photo:Chrispen Sechere/Standard].

A 33-year old man was arrested at Highlands primary school while sitting for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination on behalf of a candidate.

Zachary Kipsang Rotich was arrested at the examination centre after he was allegedly found impersonating Yegon Kipngetich Rono.

Rono had been registered through the department of adult education at the center as one of the KCPE private candidates.

Kericho County Commissioner Mukhtar Abdi, said Rotich who hails from Kiptebut village in Kiptete location in Belgut constituency was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after he was discovered attempting to sit the English paper on behalf of Rono.

"The suspect had in the morning managed to sit the mathematics paper on behalf Rono but was nabbed in the afternoon as he attempted to proceed to sit the English paper. This is after the examination invigilators discovered that the suspect's face did not match the passport size photograph with the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec)," said Abdi.

The County Commissioner said that upon the discovery of the impersonation, the centre's KCPE invigilators alerted the county director of education who rushed to the center and alerted security agencies.

"The police through the department of Criminal Investigation Division arrested the suspect for the offence of impersonation and also brought into custody the actual candidate who was supposed to sit the examination," said Abdi.

The County Commissioner added that while Rotich would be arraigned in court for the alleged offence of impersonation, Rono would be charged for aiding and abetting a crime in contravention of the National Examination Council (NEC) Act No: 29 of 2012 section 40.

"We would like to sound a warning to everyone that security agencies and education officials are alert and no one who will attempt to cheat in the examination would be spared," said Abdi.

There are 23,750 KCPE candidates in the county. At least 1,278 security officers have been deployed to man the 639 KCPE examination centres in the area.