Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has confirmed that over 600 candidates involved in exam malpractice were detected during the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams. A total of 621 candidates were found guilty of violating examination rules, which represents a small fraction 0.064% of the 965,501 candidates who sat for the exams.
Ogamba made this announcement on Friday, shedding light on the various forms of malpractice that took place in this year’s exams. The majority of the malpractice cases were linked to candidates possessing unauthorized written materials, mobile phones, and engaging in collusion. Some candidates were also found sharing images of exam papers on social media platforms, while others were implicated in impersonation. These cases, according to Ogamba, were spread across 198 exam centres, which account for 1.841% of the total 10,754 exam centres nationwide.
Despite the relatively low percentage of candidates involved in malpractice, Ogamba emphasized that the Ministry of Education is taking the issue seriously. He assured the public that all cases are under active investigation, and stringent action will be taken against those found culpable. The government remains committed to upholding the integrity of the national examinations, with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) at the forefront of ensuring fair and accurate assessments.
The exams faced logistical challenges this year, including the need for more examiners. To improve efficiency, KNEC increased the number of examiners from 29,876 in 2023 to 32,800 in 2024. This increase in examiners is aimed at ensuring that the marking process is both timely and accurate, which is crucial given the large number of candidates.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) also faced its own set of challenges, but Ogamba praised the resilience of the candidates and the examination teams. Over 1.3 million candidates participated in the KPSEA across 32,573 centres, supported by 617 distribution centres. In some regions, candidates had to contend with heavy rains and insecurity, but Ogamba noted that no candidate was left behind, including 28 candidates who took the exams from hospital settings.
The Education Cabinet Secretary also commended the multi-agency team involved in the administration of the exams. The team, which included officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of ICT, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and other stakeholders, played a crucial role in the smooth running of the exams. Ogamba highlighted the importance of this collaboration in ensuring the success of the examination season.
In a related development, Ogamba revealed that the government had allocated substantial funds to support education at various levels. A total of Sh65.2 billion was disbursed for free secondary education, with junior schools receiving Sh35.3 billion and primary schools Sh9.36 billion in capitation grants. Additionally, the government allocated Sh18 billion to support Grade 9 infrastructure, which includes the construction of 18,000 new classrooms across the country. This infrastructure project is already underway, with the first phase seeing the completion of 3,500 classrooms and phase two set to deliver 7,500 classrooms by January 2025.
The National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) is also supporting the construction of an additional 6,800 classrooms, with Nairobi County receiving Sh1 billion to address its unique infrastructure challenges.
Furthermore, the government has made significant strides in supporting the rollout of junior secondary education. Over 46,000 intern teachers have been absorbed into permanent positions, with plans to recruit an additional 20,000 interns. Additionally, 60,000 primary school teachers have been trained to handle Junior Secondary School (JSS) education, ensuring that the new educational phase is well-supported.
Ogamba’s remarks underscore the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the education sector, enhance infrastructure, and address issues such as exam malpractice, all while maintaining a focus on inclusivity and fairness.
