The Kenyan National Examination Council (KNEC) announced new measures aimed at taming new forms of cheating in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Addressing the media on Friday, December 2, KNEC CEO, David Njeng’ere, indicated that second-session papers would be placed in the exam rooms while students sit for their first tests.
He intimated that the move was aimed at addressing concerns about the preexposure of examination papers by some schools.
The KNEC boss further explained that the papers would be safeguarded with the students, invigilators and police officers.
Additionally, he stated that the council had changed the time schedule for releasing the examination papers.
“The containers will be open at 7 am and not 6 am as was earlier being done. Therefore centres have a shorter time with the scripts,” Njeng’ere asserted.
Further, he warned students against engaging in exam malpractice, adding that the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) was monitoring students’ conduct and use of internet.
Njeng’ere revealed that during the first day of national examinations, over 20 phones were confiscated with Garissa county being the most affected.
The examination boss expressed that a special team of detectives was analysing the phones to determine whether the exams were leaked to the students.
“KNEC officials did an exemplary job before the students could use them. Those phones are with the DCI for analysis and if the students are found culpable, we shall deal with it as per the guidelines,” he stated.
To this effect, he stated that there would be more thorough frisking of students before the examinations commence to determine whether they were carrying contraband items.
These measures are part of other guidelines released earlier by the exam body, including the ban on issuing extra examination papers to invigilators and teachers.
KCSE began on Friday, December 1 and will end on Friday, December 23.
