Court.
Ten suspects who were arrested over exam malpractices have been arraigned before a Homa Bay court. The suspects from Pala Masogo Secondary School appeared before Homa Bay Senior Resident Magistrate Christine Auka where they denied all the charges.
The accused were identified as Felix Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Felix Asero, Seth Polo, Collins Omondi, Jeremiah Otieno, George Ochieng, George Otieno, Maxwell Midimo and Brenda Yonge. The prosecution led by Selina Akumat told the court that on the 4th of this month, the accused disclosed the contents of an examination paper for KCSE Chemistry paper one (number 233/1).
The first two suspects were faced with two other counts. In the second count, the two were accused of being in unauthorized possession of examination papers contrary to section 27 (1) of the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) act. In count three, the first eight accused persons were accused of misuse of examination materials contrary to section 29 of KNEC Act number 29 of 2012.
Eight of the accused persons were represented by lawyers Albert Ongoso, Victor Nyakwamba and Lina Obwanda. Mr Ongoso told the court that the suspects had been detained for more than 24 hours before being arraigned which was illegal. He also told the court that one of the accused persons rights were infringed by the state after he was denied medication.
The defense counsel argued that the suspects have not been suspended by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and should be allowed to continue with their duties. Prosecutor Celine Akimat told the court to give the accused stringent bond terms saying that the suspects were likely to boycott court sessions.
Ms. Auka directed the prosecutor to provide the suspects and their defense teams with charge sheets and other relevant documents. The Magistrate set the case for mention on November 20, 2024.