Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo Warns Parents and Teachers Against KCSE Exam Cheating

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo warned parents and teachers not to pay fraudsters who claim they can leak or steal Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination papers as the written examinations commence.

He said the written papers start on Monday, November 2, 2026, with English Paper 1 and Functional Skills scheduled for 8:00 am and Chemistry Paper 1 for the 2:00 pm session, and will continue until November 20, 2026.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) indicated that 1,048,355 candidates will sit the exams, marking the first time the number of candidates has crossed the one-million threshold.

Omollo cautioned that anyone attempting to compromise the process risks destroying learners’ futures and jeopardising their own careers, adding that law-enforcement agencies are already monitoring and will arrest those involved.

He pointed to the government’s investment in education, noting the recruitment of additional teachers and increased financial support under President William Ruto’s administration, and said such investment must not be undermined by malpractice.

Nyanza Regional Commissioner Onesmus Musyoki Kyatha echoed the warning, stating security agencies are monitoring activities on the ground and on social media and will arrest anyone found facilitating cheating.

The warning follows earlier cautions from Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba, who described claims of advance access to exam papers as fraudulent and urged the public to report any such schemes.

The 2026 KCSE written examinations will cover subjects including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, History and Government, Geography, Physics, Agriculture and Business Studies, and represent the second-to-last KCSE under the 8-4-4 curriculum.