Two directors of a private school in Moiben Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County, have been arrested after 23 candidates, whose fate is now unknown, sat for fake Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) at the institution.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Moiben Deputy County Commissioner Duncan Okwach confirmed that the duo were arrested after it was established that the school was not registered with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Fake KPSEA exam
According to Okwach, the school administration at Silver Bells Academy has been giving the affected candidates exam papers to write, purporting to be KPSEA.
He said the incident was discovered by one of the concerned parents who reported to the authorities on Tuesday evening, about the suspicious activities at the school.
The deputy county commissioner together with police officers raided the school on Wednesday morning and confirmed the parent’s fears.
“Jana jioni wakati tulikuwa tunafunga, kuna mzazi mmoja alikuja kureport kuwa ameona vitu tofauti zikiendelea katika shule yake. Watoto wanachelewa kufanya mtihani na anadhani kuna vitu zilikuwa zinafanyika. Leo tukakuja hapa kwa hii shule kutaka kujua ni nini kinafanyika,” Okwach stated.
“Kufika hapa tukagundua kuwa kuna shule inajipendekeza kuwa inafanya mtihani, na hakuna mtigani inaendelea. Na pia tuligundua shule haijakuwa registered na watoto pia hawajakuwa registered kufanya mtihani. Mwalimu mkuu na wenye shule wamekuwa wakipatia watoto mtihani gushi wakisema kuwa ni KPSEA.”
Candidates not registered
Okwach further pointed out that the 23 candidates who were sitting for the fake exam and the school had also not been registered for the KPSEA.
The fate of the affected candidates now remains unknown, with Okwach saying that they are banking on KNEC and the Ministry of Education for the way forward.
“Tulijaribu kuwahoji tukapata kuwa hawa watoto wamekuwa wakifanya mtihani ambao sio wa kawaida. Wamekuwa wanafanywa mtihani ambao umepigwa photocopy alafu wanapea watoto kufanya. Tumefanya uchunguzi na tumepata kuwa ni watato 23 ambao wamekuwa affected na huo mtihani. Kuna watu wawili ambao wamechukuliwa, tumewakatamata ili twende tuwahoji tujue kiini. Kwa sasa tumeachia shirika la KNEC na watu wa education wachunguze na watupee the way forward,” he said.
Exam security measures
The government on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, announced three key measures that it has employed to ensure the security of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration in a statement said security measures have been enhanced to curb any exam irregularities.
The exam materials have been safeguarded from any unauthorized access, with the government monitoring the examination process and distribution.
“Security measures for National exams have been significantly enhanced to curb irregularities. We have implemented tight security protocols to safeguard the examination materials from any unauthorized access, while also monitoring the examination process,” the Ministry of Interior announced.
