As nearly one million students gear up for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, the government has unveiled a round-the-clock social media monitoring program aimed at stopping digital exam leaks and curbing malpractice.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo on Wednesday announced that a multi-agency team had been activated to conduct 24-hour surveillance across popular social media platforms, including Telegram and WhatsApp, which have increasingly been used to circulate fake exam papers.
Speaking at the National Command Centre based at the Ministry of Interior, Omollo revealed that the team was tasked with detecting and responding swiftly to any attempts to compromise the integrity of national exams.
“A multi-agency team is conducting 24-hour surveillance on social media platforms to curb fake exam leaks and digital fraud,” said Omollo.
“We are committed to ensuring that the integrity of our national examinations is preserved throughout the exam period.”
Exam Leak Hotspots
According to recent reports by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), exam fraudsters have turned to Telegram and WhatsApp to share what they claim are leaked KCSE papers.
KNEC identified 51 Telegram channels involved in exam leaks, with 18 already flagged for further investigation.
The council warned that these platforms continue to pose a serious challenge to exam integrity despite increased government vigilance.
Nearly One Million Candidates to Sit KCSE
This year, 996,078 students are expected to sit for the KCSE exams scheduled to run from November 3 to November 21, lasting a total of 18 days.
Earlier this month, KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere announced new security measures designed to prevent malpractice and enhance accountability across exam centers.
Among the new reforms is the introduction of personalized examination papers for both KCSE and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) candidates.
Each paper will bear a student’s name and index number, with candidates required to sign both the paper and its counterfoil. Supervisors will then collect and submit the counterfoils separately to ensure accountability.
Additionally, the double-collection system for KCSE papers will remain in place — meaning scripts for the afternoon sessions will only be released shortly before the exams begin.
With the latest surveillance measures and exam reforms, education officials say they are confident that the 2025 KCSE will be among the most secure national examinations in Kenya’s history.