Education officials confirmed that twelve candidates at Kitonyini High School in Machakos were stopped from sitting the remaining Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) papers on Friday, 13 November, after being found in possession of mobile phones within the examination zone.

Authorities have not yet clarified whether the phones were located inside the actual examination rooms or elsewhere in the school compound, leaving the precise nature of the breach unsettled.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) regulations expressly forbid candidates from entering exam centres with mobile phones or any electronic communication devices that could facilitate unauthorised communication or malpractice.

KNEC rules also ban books, handwritten notes, loose papers, calculators not approved for the subject, and even handbags or backpacks inside examination rooms to protect the integrity of the assessment.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has repeatedly warned that any candidate caught with prohibited items will face severe consequences, a message he reiterated during the KCSE opening ceremony earlier in the week.

The suspension came hours after the government announced that the 2026 national examinations were progressing smoothly across the country, underscoring the sensitivity of any breach to the overall credibility of the exams.

Under KNEC guidelines, examination officials themselves must switch off their mobile phones and store them in secure locations away from the testing area, reinforcing the zero‑tolerance stance on electronic devices.