The crescendo in cheating and exam leakages by use of technology in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) has reached fever pitch in Kenya in 2009. Yet the Kenya National Council (KNEC) is playing down the irregularities that seem to pose a major threat to education system. As is the practice, the KNEC Secretary, Paul Wasanga would trivialize media reports on exam malpractices and unethical conduct of his candidates, invigilators and supervisors. He once retorted - I hope it was a misquote - “Why report exam leakage to the police. The police are not the exam council!”

Since 2007, the media has persistently revealed exam misdeeds which are brushed off by the government as lies despite the production of evidence. Indeed, last year at the height of demand for changes in the KNEC leadership, the government – in what appears to be a slap in the face of mwananchi - extended Wasanga’s for another term of three year.

The banning of mobile phones in schools by the education minister Prof Sam Ongeri was not the best remedy. Rather the schools should train and guide students on responsible usage of mobile phones. If schools trained students on how to use the mobile phones responsibly, principals would find these tools could be efficient means of communication. Short message services (SMS) in passing important information to students; principals will find that SMS can be a useful tool of intelligence required to monitor trends and predict what is likely to happen in his school.