Police officers have arrested a man purporting to have access to the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education (KCSE) examination papers.
In an update on Monday, November 11, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Stephen Nyang'au Mbeche was arrested following an operation involving officers attached to Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and their counterparts from Masaba North.
"Mbeche, the administrator of "KCSE 2024 Leakage Group" on Telegram, was cornered and arrested after a sustained surveillance operation.
"A detailed search at his premises resulted in the seizure of a mobile phone and a laptop, the supposed tools of the trade he uses to exploit parents and students involved in the cheating," DCI said.
The investigating agency said Mbeche was taken into police custody as detectives continue to pursue other individuals involved in exam malpractices.
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This comes a week after the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) announced a temporary suspension of Telegram during the ongoing KCSE examinations.
In the letter dated October 31, 2024, CA explained that it had received requests to take down social media channels and forums being used to compromise the integrity of the ongoing exams.
"It has come to the attention of the Authority that the Telegram platform is being misused to perpetrate criminal activities, including compromising on the integrity of the ongoing national examinations. As a result, various government agencies have reached out to the Authority seeking assistance in taking down social media channels and forums, including Telegram, that are interfering with the integrity of our national examinations.
"Whereas all other social media platforms operating in Kenya have taken steps to address misuse of their platforms, we note with dismay that Telegram Inc. has remained non-responsive and continues to host offending forums and channels in blatant breach of the laws of the land and the general principles of Data Protection and Privacy," part of the statement read.
CA directed mobile network operators to restrict access to Telegram during the administration of the KCSE examinations from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the morning and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon from Monday to Friday up until November 22, 2024.
