36 social media accounts under probe over alleged involvement in exam malpractice

Communications Authority of Kenya CEO Ezra Chiloba appearing before the National Assembly Education Commitee to answer to queries regarding 2022's alleged cheating in KCSE exams. [Samson Wire, Standard]

The Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) says thirty-six (36) social media accounts are being investigated for trying to engage in malpractice ahead of the 2023 national exams.

The Authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ezra Chiloba made the remarks while appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee on Tuesday, July 4, which is probing the 2022 KCSE exam cheating claims. 

Chiloba said a total of 34 exam malpractice cases were reported in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), while 28 were reported in the 2022 KCSE.

“The cases are still unresolved even after they were forwarded to them by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC),” said Chiloba.

He added that the authority’s hands are tied and cannot handle the cases without the procedural legal framework in place.

On his part, the Education Committee chairman Julius Melly poked holes in how the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and CA have been handling the exam malpractices in the country.

The institutions have been given two weeks to come up with a concrete answer. 

The release of the 2022 results was received with skepticism by a section of Kenyans who doubted the meteoric rise of some little-known secondary schools. 

They suspected that the schools were buoyed up by cheating and not hard work as it should be.

But the Education Cabinet Ezekiel Machogu immediately allayed fears of widespread exam cheating.

“From where I sit," he said, "there was no cheating. This is propaganda started by people who do not have proper intentions for the country,” he said.