Govt Puts Parents, Teachers on Notice over Fake Exam Papers

The government has warned parents and teachers against paying fraudsters who claim to sell leaked examination papers, as more than one million candidates prepare to start the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) written papers on Monday, November 2.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo spoke in Siaya on Saturday, October 31, saying anyone who tries to profit from the exams would be pursued.

He warned parents and teachers against falling prey to scammers or even being part of their illegal trade.

"As we do the national exams, I want to appeal to the parents, I want to appeal to our teachers, please don't fall into the trap of those who want to make quick money by lying to you that they will steal for you examinations," he said.

The warning comes as scammers are already targeting families. 

This year's KCSE has 1,048,355 candidates, the first time the number has passed one million, up from 996,078 candidates last year.

Oral and practical papers began on October 19, and the papers with large numbers of candidates run from November 2 to 20.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC)'s timetable has first-session papers starting at 8am and second-session papers at 2pm. The last paper is the physics practical on Friday, November 20.

Omollo said that anyone caught cheating or helping others to cheat would be harming the future of the children they claim to help.

"Because when you do that, you are not just ruining the lives of our children, you are ruining your life as a parent and also as a professional teacher," he said.

He warned those striving to exploit the exams, noting that law enforcement agencies are on standby. The Interior Ministry has said it will not tolerate any form of malpractice.

Last year, the ministry set up a National Command Centre for Examinations Security.

The centre brings together officers from the Education and ICT ministries, the examinations council and other security agencies, and operates around the clock to detect and respond to malpractice.

The government says all officers involved in administering and supervising the exams must uphold integrity, fairness and professionalism.

Under the examinations council's guidelines, each KCSE centre must have at least two security officers. Centres with more than 250 candidates may request an additional officer.

The government has also added 48 containers for storing exam materials, bringing the total to 701. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said contingency measures are in place in case heavy rains disrupt the examinations.

The PS also pointed to the government's spending on education as a reason that no one should tamper with the exams.

"We have invested so much as a government, the president has hired enough teachers for us and is continuing to hire, is putting a lot of money into the education sector. We cannot cheat or play games with the lives of our children, with the life of this country," he said.

The 2026 sitting is the second-last KCSE for the 8-4-4 system, with the final cohort expected to sit in 2027.