Seventeen students in Marsabit County have been caught with mobile phones during the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, raising new concerns about exam malpractice.
According to officials from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the phones were confiscated in two separate incidents in Moyale and Saku constituencies. Nine students were found with phones at Sessi Mixed Secondary School in Moyale, while another eight private candidates were nabbed in Saku.
Marsabit Central Assistant County Commissioner David Saruni confirmed the incidents, noting that investigations were underway. A police report revealed that the devices were discovered during a routine check by KNEC officials.
“After the recovery, the nine candidates were allowed to continue with their Chemistry Paper One exam, code 233/1, at Sessi Mixed,” reads the police report.
Authorities have handed over the recovered phones to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for forensic analysis, while the matter has also been reported to the Sub-County Director of Education, Moyale Deputy County Commissioner, and the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer.
Marsabit County has 4,126 candidates sitting for KCSE exams across 51 centres.
According to DCI and KNEC, the crackdown comes amid an ongoing battle against online exam fraud. Between last year and August 2025, investigators traced 51 Telegram channels linked to exam cheating networks. So far, 32 have been taken down, with 19 still pending though most are inactive.
Fraudsters have been using Telegram and WhatsApp to target students, parents, and teachers. This year, 996,078 candidates are sitting for the national exams, which will end on November 21.
