Phones of KCSE exams supervisors monitored, says Amina Mohamed

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed checks Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination materials in Muranga' County on November 6, 2018. PHOTO | NDUGU GACHANE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Police on Monday arrested 17 people over alleged exam malpractice.
  • A supervisor, seven invigilators and deputy principal among those arrested.

Supervisors and invigilators in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations were in for a rude shock on Tuesday after the Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed revealed the government has been monitoring their phone activities in bid to curb cheating.

“The phones of examination centre managers and invigilators are being monitored to ensure they don’t tamper with the examinations. Anyone who tries to do so will be arrested and charged,” Ms Amina said.

The Education boss, who was speaking in Murang’a town on Tuesday where she supervised the distribution of KCSE exams, was reacting to the arrest of 17 people in Kisii County for allegedly trying to smuggle foreign materials into examination centres. 

"Anyone who tries to smuggle foreign materials into examination centres will be in for a rude shock. We have a fully installed surveillance system…no one can steal the examinations," she told exam centre managers in Muranga County.​

Last month, Ms Mohamed said security officers would be monitoring phones of head teacher, who serve as exam centre managers, on a 24-hour basis to get to know which people they communicate with in bid to nip in the bud any plot to cheat in the exams.

However, she said unlike exam centre managers, supervisors, invigilators and security officers would not be allowed to bring phones to schools during the examinations.