Police in Rubavu District, Western Province are investigating an examination cheat racket which involved students, cleaners and a supervisor at Nyemeramihigo Secondary School.

Four people were on Tuesday arrested at the school, three of them school cleaners while another was an examination supervisor.

They were all arrested from the school, which was the venue for Senior Six and Three examinations from various schools in the district during the just-concluded national examinations.

The acting Police chief in Rubavu District, Chief Inspector Hermes Murayire, said they are holding four people suspected to have facilitated students who sat their papers from the school in passing on questions to mercenaries outside exam rooms and getting the answers back.

Murayire identified those so far in police custody as Hassan Gatete, the examination supervisor, and three school cleaners Jean Pierre Habimana, Issa Mfitimana and Jean Marie Vianney Sebashenyi.

The quartet was arrested after police suspected them to have facilitated some Senior Six candidates cheat in biology and chemistry examinations.

The four are said to have been hiding in toilets where they received questions from students, and then went on to deliver them to mercenaries outside the school compound.

They would then return answer chits and put them in toilets from where the students picked them, Police said.

Two students are suspected to have been involved in the racket.

They were identified as
Eric Shema and Saidi Habaguhirwa. Sources said that the two boys pretended as if they were going for short calls.

Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC) Executive Secretary, John Rutayisire expressed shock when he learnt that some of the suspects were school cleaners.

The development has raised to nine the number of arrests for people suspected to have in one of or another committed examination malpractices in just a week.

Last week, Police arrested in Musanze, Northern Province, arrested Innocent Bimenyimana, a nurse at Ruhengeri Hospital, and Teliphine Nirere for alleged cheating at EER Ruhengeri examination centre.

Others were arrested from Nyagatare exam centre in Eastern Province, and they are Juliet Mukagacinya, a teacher, and one Emmanuel Nsengiyumva.

The quartet has since then been charged with impersonation and exam malpractices and sent on remand. They are due to reappear before court today.

Bimenyimana and Nirere were remanded by Muhoza Court of First Instance, while Mukagacinya and Nsengiyumva were sent on remand by Nyagatare Court of First Instance.

Another suspect, Semias Ngezehayo was arrested on Monday at St Marie Aline exams centre in Muhanga District, Southern Province, while sitting an examination paper in the names of Edward Ndekezi, who was supposed to do the examinations but never turned up for any.

Police suspects Ngezehayo, who is also a businessman, is outside the country.

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