Detectives have arrested four suspects believed to be the driving force behind high-level examination fraud.


These arrests were made following intelligence reports of sale of examination papers to Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates.

Detectives attached to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) launched the investigation about a week ago.


So far, four suspects have already been arrested and they are college students in at least four higher learning institutions.

Police identified the main suspect as Gideon Kibet Tanui alias Evans Kipturo. Tanui is a student at Baringo Technical College studying Information technology.


He was picked from his rented house close to the college on Tuesday last week at around 10:30 pm while was administering English paper 2 and Chemistry paper 1 to students from Silibwet and Sitoito secondary schools in Molo, via his WhatsApp group of about seventy members.

Tanui was distributing examination papers at a small amount of Sh500 per paper. Police also discovered that Tanui is a member of two fraudulent Telegram groups with over 17,000 followers.


Upon further investigations, the detectives found Sh10,000 in the suspect's MPESA account. Tanui also operated a KCB account Kabarnet branch, to which he immediately transferred money sent to him to avoid reversal.

His MPESA line was registered under the alias Evans Kipruto in a move to hide his true identity.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) posed as candidates and engaged Tanui. The suspect who was smart tried to engage the detectives in a cat and mouse game but finally cornered.


His arrest led the detectives to another suspect named Kevin Kiprotich Langat. Langat is a student at Rongo University studying Bachelor of arts in Swahili.

Langat had forwarded an English exam paper to Tanui. Detectives discovered that a larger syndicate of examination fraudsters existed at Rongo University.

The arrest of Langat let to the arrest of another suspect, a first-year student studying Political Science and Swahili identified as Justice Leting. Leting was arrested while he was distributing the Kiswahili paper and was also preparing answers for the Chemistry practical paper.


On Leting’s phone, the detectives found the entire examination material. The police found a conversation between him and another suspect only identified as Bett. 

In their conversation, Leting assured Bett his answers were reliable because according to his own account, he was a star in Swahili.

“Nilipata one hour to, nikaunda answers…“Niliunda legitly, nilikuwanga star kwa Kiswahili,” Leting wrote.


Upon being probed further, Leting revealed he has been working together with other students in the institution who are still at large.

Detectives also discovered the syndicate is operating a till number account at Ecobank in which candidates are asked to deposit Sh5,000 per paper or a discounted rate of Sh20,000 for the entire examination.


Despite the efforts, the government has put in place to ensure there are no incidents of exam malpractices, some crooked government officials are in cahoots with some school heads, security agents, parents and college students to steal exams.

It is suspected that the examination containers are opened hours before the set time to supply the stolen examination papers to the university and college students to come up with answers which are later sold to candidates.