Candidates at Nyabisase SDA Mixed Secondary School in Bobasi, Kisii County, attacked a multi-agency team investigating suspected KCSE malpractice on Thursday 5 November 2026, seized a police officer's pistol and held it for hours before it was recovered.

The team — officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Kenya National Examinations Council and the National Intelligence Service — had gone to the school between the first and second papers after KNEC official Gioko Kanyi raised concerns about suspected cheating. Instead of cooperating, a group of candidates turned on the team.

During the confrontation, the candidates seized a Ceska pistol from a police officer. The Daily Nation and Citizen Digital report that the students held the firearm for nearly three hours; Pulse Kenya and The Kenya Times put the standoff at close to six hours. Several KNEC officials and police officers were injured in the attack.

Corporal Leonard Siele was seriously assaulted during the confrontation, and his whereabouts were unknown afterwards, according to Education News.

Kisii County Police Commander Ronald Kirui confirmed the incident and the recovery of the firearm. "We conducted a serious search in the school and have recovered the firearm. It is now with us, and the circumstances surrounding its loss are under investigation," he said.

Anti-riot police were deployed to the school, which was closed and the students sent home. Citizen Digital reports that a dormitory was set ablaze during the chaos.

Not the first unrest at the school

The school has been here before. The Daily Nation reports that Nyabisase was closed in July 2026 after students protested against the appointment of a new principal, and a dormitory was burned down during that unrest.

The incident is the most serious disruption of the 2026 KCSE examination so far. The written papers run from 2 to 20 November, with 1,048,355 candidates sitting in 10,693 centres across the country.

Sources: Daily Nation, 5 November 2026. Citizen Digital, published 5 November 2026, updated 6 November 2026. TUKO.co.ke, 5 November 2026. Education News, 5 November 2026. Pulse Kenya, 6 November 2026. The Kenya Times, 6 November 2026.