The Ministry of Education is on high alert over the risk of examination papers being exposed before the official start time as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) written tests entered their second day on Tuesday.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has warned examination officials against carrying mobile phones into examination rooms, citing the risk of sharing examination questions before candidates are allowed to begin writing.
In a public notice, KNEC chief executive officer David Njengere directed centre managers, supervisors, invigilators and security personnel not to enter examination rooms with mobile phones while examination sessions are in progress.
He said the gadgets should be switched off and secured in lockers outside the examination rooms.
In a further measure to prevent technology-enabled cheating and possible leakage of examination content, candidates have also been barred from wearing wristwatches inside examination rooms.
Modern smartwatches and connected devices can store notes, receive messages, access the internet or pair with concealed earpieces to facilitate the transmission of answers during examinations.
KNEC has instructed centre managers to ensure that every examination room has a wall clock to enable candidates to monitor time and manage the duration allocated to each paper.
English and Chemistry were the first papers administered on Monday, followed by Mathematics and English Comprehension on Tuesday.
Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa said the stricter measures were intended to protect the integrity of the national examinations and prevent any compromise in their administration.
Centre managers are required to collect examination papers for their respective centres at exactly 7am. Any attempt to open examination containers before the designated time triggers an alert at KNEC headquarters.
"There's no way you can open earlier. If you attempt, the Kenya National Examinations Council will see that you have actually tried to open before the time," Ololtuaa said.
A record 1,048,355 candidates are sitting the examinations across the country.
Although no major incident has so far been reported, the Ministry of Education has acknowledged that examination malpractice remains a major concern despite heightened surveillance and tighter controls.
Impersonation, collusion and possession of unauthorised materials inside examination rooms remain among the offences authorities are seeking to prevent.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said examination integrity was critical to maintaining the credibility of Kenya's academic qualifications and global reputation.
"It's not for nothing that we said we want our exams to be free of those malpractices. This is because a country whose examinations are not credible means certificates that people hold from that country are not respected," he said.
To facilitate prompt reporting and enquiries relating to examination administration, KNEC has provided three telephone contacts through which the public can reach its call centre.
The centre operates around the clock and can be reached through the toll-free numbers 0800-721-410 and 0800-724-900, or its direct non-toll-free line, 0719-093-000.
This is the second-last KCSE examination as Kenya prepares to complete the transition from the 8-4-4 system to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum in 2027.
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