Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 14 – Police have arrested Collins Kipchumba Kemboi, a prominent figure in the ongoing crackdown on 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam malpractices. Kemboi, known for operating a large-scale exam cheating ring, was apprehended in Nakuru’s Kiamunyi area following an operation led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in collaboration with Nakuru County officers.
Kemboi, who had gained a significant following of over 78,000 users on his Telegram account and 8,500 participants in his WhatsApp groups, is accused of providing leaked exam materials to students in exchange for payment. The DCI revealed that Kemboi was caught red-handed with the tools of his fraudulent trade, including an Infinix Hot 10 Lite phone, multiple SIM cards, several national ID cards under different names, and a driver’s license.
The 57-year-old suspect, a graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management, works as a salesperson for an international company. He will remain in police custody at Nakuru Central Police Station, facing charges of fraud and unauthorized possession of examination materials. Kemboi is expected to be arraigned at Nakuru Law Courts later today.
This arrest is part of an ongoing effort by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and the DCI to maintain the integrity of the KCSE exams. Recently, several other arrests were made in connection with exam fraud. In Garissa, two students were caught using mobile phones during their Islamic Religious Education and Biology exams. In Baringo, a police officer and invigilator recovered a mobile phone from a candidate during an exam, revealing an exact copy of the Christian Religious Education Paper 1 questions and answers. The candidate was arrested immediately.
Further arrests were made in Nandi County, where a center manager, an exam supervisor, and two invigilators were detained after a candidate’s exam paper was photographed and shared on social media.
The DCI and KNEC continue their efforts to curb exam malpractice, with several more arrests expected as investigations into the 2024 KCSE examination irregularities unfold.