The government has announced that at least 78 people have been arrested in a major crackdown targeting individuals suspected of trying to interfere with the credibility of the ongoing 2025 national examinations.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said on Saturday, November 15, that the arrests are connected to several exam cheating activities, including the leaking of exam papers on social media while candidates were still writing their tests.
He emphasized that the Ministry is determined to protect the integrity of national assessments.
According to Ogamba, security officers are still pursuing more suspects who are believed to have been involved in examination fraud, and those found guilty will be taken to court.
“Evidence-led operations are ongoing, and more offenders will be punished according to the law,” Ogamba said. “We have already identified individuals misusing social media to expose exam content during live sessions. Our security agencies acted quickly, leading to the arrest of 78 suspects so far.”
The CS added that any students caught cheating will face serious consequences, including being barred from sitting national exams for up to three years. This penalty aims to discourage exam malpractice and protect the credibility of Kenya’s education system.
The crackdown comes at a time when the government is supervising the KCSE exams, while the KPSEA and the first-ever KJSEA assessments have already been completed. Ogamba confirmed that marking for the KJSEA is underway, with 11,342 examiners working across 24 marking centres nationwide to ensure timely processing of results.
Despite stronger measures, challenges still remain. This year recorded seven impersonation cases, most of which involved adults attempting to sit exams on behalf of candidates. Under the Kenya National Examinations Act of 2012, offenders risk cancellation of their results, being banned from taking exams, and facing prosecution.
To strengthen security, the Ministry has introduced several strict measures. One of the major improvements this year is the requirement that all centre managers transporting exam materials must be accompanied by armed escorts. In addition, all exam logistics must use official government vehicles, and the use of mobile phones inside examination centres has been completely banned.
These actions reflect the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure fairness, transparency, and credibility in national assessments, as Kenya continues to battle evolving methods of exam malpractice.
Join Government Official WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
