The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested two suspects, among them a primary school teacher, over their involvement in creating and distributing fake Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education result slips.
Detectives say the two suspects operated undercover with the acronym “G.O.A.T.” and took to social media, where they preyed on desperate parents and candidates, promising to change KCSE results at a cost in return.
The suspects were arrested in different operations at their houses in Kisumu and Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, in a well-coordinated investigation led by DCI officers with support from the Kenya National Examinations Council.
In a statement, the DCI said the suspects had been spreading falsified 2025 KCSE result slips across various online platforms, misleading families seeking better outcomes for their children.
“Like fishermen casting bait in murky waters, the duo lured desperate candidates and parents with promises of upgraded grades at a fee,” the DCI said, adding that the suspects boldly claimed they could manipulate official KCSE results.
Police say the teacher was the mastermind in the scheme and could attract unsuspecting victims with his over 45,000 followers on social media. Detectives also linked him to several online groups notorious for claims of exam manipulation, including sites operating under names such as KNEC Legit Papers and Upgrading and KNEC Grade Editing.
A search of the suspects’ mobile phones uncovered photographs of fake KCSE result slips and other examination-related paraphernalia, which detectives say formed concrete evidence of the fraudulent activities.
The DCI has cautioned parents and candidates against such scams, reiterating that KCSE result slips are secure and tamper-evident, and cannot be doctored under any circumstance whatsoever.
Meanwhile, detectives say investigations are still going on as the efforts get high to track others said to be part of the larger academic fraud network.
The arrest comes barely a week after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba released the 2025 KCSE results on Friday, January 9. A total of 993,000 candidates sat the national examination, comprising 492,019 boys and 501,214 girls.
Out of the total candidates, 270,715 learners representing 27.18 percent attained a mean grade of C+ and above, qualifying them for direct entry into university. Authorities have, time and again, reassured of their commitment to protecting the integrity of national examinations and called on the public to provide any information regarding suspected cases of examination fraud.
