KCSE grades for sale: Detectives arrest teachers changing KCSE grades and selling certificates to parents and students
Detectives say the suspects worked quietly within the system, targeting desperate parents and anxious students after results were released.
According to investigators, the teachers allegedly accessed examination records and altered grades in exchange for large sums of money.
Parents are said to have paid because they feared their children’s poor results would close doors to universities and future jobs.
Some students involved were finalists who had failed by small margins and felt they had no second chance.
Detectives describe the scheme as well-organized, with middlemen linking teachers to families willing to pay.
The teachers reportedly promised quick solutions, telling parents the changes would look clean and official.
Several parents have told police they were torn between doing the right thing and saving their children from shame.
One parent said the pressure from relatives and neighbors pushed them into making a bad decision.
Students involved are described as young people overwhelmed by fear, not criminals seeking shortcuts for fun.
Police say altered certificates were later sold as genuine documents, complete with official stamps and serial numbers.
The arrests followed weeks of quiet surveillance after inconsistencies were noticed in the examination database.
Education officials say the fraud hurts honest students who worked hard for their grades. They also warn that fake results weaken trust in the national examination system.
Some teachers’ unions have condemned the acts, saying a few individuals have damaged the profession’s name. Investigators say more arrests may follow as the probe widens to other regions.
Parents are now being urged to support their children even when results are disappointing. Education experts say failure should not be treated as the end of life.
They argue that pressure to succeed at all costs creates room for corruption. As the case unfolds, many Kenyans are left asking how a system built on trust was turned into a market.
