‘Mastermind’ behind exam cheating arrested in Homa Bay

Distribution of examination material from a storage facility in Ol Kalou. [John Ndungu, Standard]

A secondary school teacher suspected to be the mastermind behind Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination leakage in Nyanza has been arrested in Homa Bay County.

The 32-year-old teacher at Nyagwethe Secondary, Suba sub-county was arrested in Mbita town on Wednesday evening.

According to Homa Bay County Commissioner Moses Lilan, the teacher is suspected of supplying exam cheating materials to the counties of Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, and Migori.

Lilan said the teacher was arrested and detained at Mbita Police Station before being transferred to Homa Bay Police Station after a probe into his operations was launched by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

“We have established that he is in cohorts with someone in Nairobi who sends the exam material to him via his mobile phone. He then circulates them to his accomplices in this region up to Kuria, the border between Kenya and Tanzania,” said Lilan.

It is, however, not clear if the materials he has been circulating are genuine or fake.

Lilan told The Standard that the police are questioning the teacher to unmask more of his conspirators.

“The teacher works in a strong network of examination criminals. We want the suspect to tell us more about these people he has been colluding with,” said Lilan.

The commissioner went on to warn perpetrators of examination irregularities that security agencies are on the alert to curb cases of cheating. 

 “As a government, our security officials are vigilant to ensure that integrity of the examination is upheld. Anybody found in violation must face the consequences,” Lilan warned.

The arrest came just a day after Education CS, Prof George Magoha, affirmed that those implicated in exam cheating will be charged. 

Magoha said 832 foreign examination materials have been confiscated since the KCSE exam began.