The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arrest of a person of interest connected to the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam leak scandal.
According to a statement shared by DCI on Thursday, November 14, 2024, the individual, apprehended within the Kiamunyi area of Nakuru County, was distributing leaked examination materials on social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.
Operating under a false identity, the 23-year-old male had amassed a massive following of over 78,000 individuals on Telegram and over 8,500 on WhatsApp groups. These platforms are said to have served as conduits for students and other exam candidates eager to access leaked KCSE exam content.
“The 23-year-old man had become the nightmare of KNEC officials, having mobilized a following of over 78,000 exam leakage seekers in his Telegram account and over 8,500 in his WhatsApp groups,” DCI stated.
DCI said officers, in collaboration with Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) personnel and Nakuru County detectives, tracked the person of interest for weeks. They conducted a targeted operation at his residence, catching him red-handed with the devices and materials used in his operations.
Detectives seized an Infinix Hot 10 Lite smartphone alongside multiple SIM cards, national identity documents registered under different names, and a driving license.
“In an all-out war to curb the unbecoming practice of cheating, DCI officers attached to KNEC jointly with their Nakuru County counterparts sharpened their claws on the miscreant, pouncing on him like a cornered rat at his abode in Kiamunyi,” the DCI statement read in part.
Adding;
“The detectives had no business turning the house upside down in search for evidence; the man was caught pants down with his tools of trade right on the table. His key asset – an Infinix Hot 10 Lite phone – used to fleece unsuspecting grade-seekers was confiscated, alongside several SIM cards, national IDs bearing different names, and a driving license.”
The authorities said that further investigations revealed that the man holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resource Management from a Kenyan university and is currently employed as a salesperson with an international company.
The man is currently in custody at Nakuru Central Police Station and is expected to face charges of fraud and unauthorized possession of examination materials when he appears in court on Friday, according to DCI.
