Catholic Archbishop in Kenya Calls Out Parents, Teachers Colluding in National Exam Malpractice

Nairobi, 11 November, 2025 / 3:04 PM

Archbishop Anthony Muheria of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri in Kenya has condemned exam malpractice in schools, warning that dishonesty in education undermines the nation’s future and hinders the potential of young people.

In a  reflection published on Sunday, November 9, Archbishop Muheria expressed sadness that some parents and teachers are encouraging students to cheat in the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, describing it as a dangerous habit that will harm the very children they claim to help.

“Let us know that we cannot seek a better future for our children through lies and then pretend we are doing well. We, as parents and teachers, still have this bad habit of looking for shortcuts, for dishonest means, so that our children can supposedly pass and get high grades,” Archbishop Muheria said in the report by Catholic Mirror, a publication of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB). 

The Archbishop highlighted the dangers of exam cheating, noting that it harms not only the student but the entire society, especially in critical fields such as medicine and engineering.

“Beloved ones, it is important to understand that those you are helping now to cheat in order to study medicine or engineering through exam malpractice are the same ones who will treat you later,” the Archbishop said. 

“When they lack real knowledge and skills because they took shortcuts they will cause us pain later because we chose deceit. The one who builds your house through cheating, if it collapses, the sorrow will be yours because you helped him cheat to reach that point,” he  added.

KCSE 2025 exam began on October 21, with oral and practical papers, and is scheduled to end on November 21, after the written examinations.

The Local Ordinary of Nyeri cautioned teachers and parents against exam cheating, saying, “In the end, it is we who will suffer the consequences of what we have acquired through lies and dishonesty.”

He urged learners to work hard according to their God-given abilities, noting that success comes through effort, not shortcuts.

The Archbishop also encouraged candidates sitting for the national exams to focus on discovering and nurturing their God-given talents, noting that each person has a unique path that the Lord has prepared for them.

“Maybe you will be a doctor, maybe you will not, because that might not be the path God has given you the ability, and intellect for. However, you might be gifted in another field. That gift is what we ask God to fill in you, to increase, and to make fruitful so that in the end, He may look upon your work and bless it. But let us never try to cheat,” the Archbishop said.

In his reflection, the Archbishop has cautioned teachers against exchanging information that can lead to exam malpractice through their phones during examinations.

“Teachers, we are ruining our children’s future when we help them to cheat in exams, because eventually, the pain will be ours when they fail at the university level. Let us all hold firmly to the truth and defend the gifts that God has given us,” Archbishop Muheria said.

In his reflection, the Archbishop also entrusted the Grade 9 learners who recently completed their national assessments, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) to God’s care, expressing hope that the Kenyan government would ensure fairness in the placement of students into secondary schools.

In Kenya's Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system, Grade 10 marks the beginning of senior secondary school. 

“I pray for all of them, may the government find a solution in the education system so that there will be fairness in the selection and progression of their studies. For now, we pray for all our children,” he said.

Archbishop Muheria also spoke about the holiday programs organized by churches for children, especially the boys who will be undergoing circumcision, and encouraged parents to take them to the program where they will receive proper guidance. 

The children, he said, will be educated and guided in the right path first in humanity, in cultural values, and especially in Christian values to show that they are mature individuals who know their rights but, more importantly, their responsibilities in the family, in society, among their peers, and in the nation.

To the young people who are currently on holiday, Archbishop Muheria called for discipline, saying, “My dear young people, do not be misled into wrong ways of looking at women or acting disrespectfully, thinking that now that you are grown, you cannot be corrected. Instead, be firm in faith, in obedience, and in defending what is right.”

“Help your friends, help your families, work hard, and have big dreams that God will fulfill through your prayers and your efforts for our nation. We are praying for all of you,” he said.