Education Officials Bar 12 Machakos Students From Remaining KCSE Exams Over Phones

Twelve Form Four candidates from Kitonyini High School in Kalama Sub-County, Machakos County, were suspended from sitting the remaining Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) papers on Friday, November 13, after they were alleged to have been found with mobile phones in the examination zone.

The Kalama Sub-County Director of Education, Laban Siwili, said the incident had been reported to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and that the final decision on the candidates’ status now rests with KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has repeatedly warned that candidates involved in examination malpractice will face severe consequences, stating that the government shall have no mercy on anyone who engages in any examination offences or malpractices.

KNEC regulations prohibit candidates from entering examination centres with mobile phones or other electronic communication devices, and also ban books, handwritten notes, loose papers, calculators not authorised for the subject, and bags such as handbags, briefcases and backpacks inside examination rooms.

The suspension follows a government announcement earlier that day that the 2026 national examinations were progressing smoothly across the country.

The affected learners now await KNEC’s determination on the appropriate course of action in line with established examination regulations.