KCSE Cheating: 13 teachers arrested in Siaya released on Ksh.100K bond each

Thirteen teachers who were arrested on Monday on allegations of exam malpractice at Nyamninia Secondary School in Siaya were on Tuesday released on a Ksh.100,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount or an alternative cash bail of Ksh.20,000.

Siaya Resident Magistrate Jacob Mkala issued the ruling on Tuesday afternoon dismissing the application by the prosecution to detain the suspects for seven days.

He instead directed them to report to the investigating officer every 14 days should they secure their release.

The defence had indicated that some of the suspects had medical needs, with others having minors in their care who needed tending to.

The arrests occurred after candidates were discovered with photocopied answers to Mathematics Paper 2 during the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

The 13 teachers including nine invigilators were detained after Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) officials who were overseeing the KCSE exams reported the incident.

Those detained included the school's exam supervisor, a Board of Management (BOM) teacher from St. Mary's School Yala, Nyamninia Secondary School's centre manager, and his deputy.

According to the police report, KNEC officials observed suspicious behaviour among students when they visited the school around 10:15 a.m., during the Mathematics Paper 2 exam.

After conducting a search, officials discovered photocopied exam answers from both a candidate and the examination supervisor, Mr. Isaac Wesonga.

Several students were allegedly caught attempting to hide copies or destroy evidence, indicating a concerted effort to cheat.

A multi-agency team, led by Deputy County Commissioner Evans Otieno and the sub-county director of education, responded quickly to the scene, resulting in the arrests.