KCSE exams kicked off on Tuesday with the supervisors in Thika schools taking no chances to curb cheating by frisking candidates to unearth any contraband material.
The Government on Monday sought to reassure 400,000 candidates who began their examinations that there are no leaks. The examination begins with uncertainty over the outcome of ongoing talks on better pay for teachers as talks with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) resume on Friday.
So far, only the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has committed to turn up for the negotiations.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has pulled out of the talks, accusing the government of taking teachers for a ride and threatened to call for a strike.
The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has assured the country that the exam papers were secure in county offices and that all preparations had been made to ensure a smooth exercise.
"Examination papers are not usually leaked but a group of criminals may have mock papers and with today's technology, may mark them with the Knec logo. Those purporting to have the current KCSE examinations papers, whether real or fake, will face the full force of the law," Knec acting Chief Executive Officer Joseph Kivilu said while addressing journalists earlier.