Students who engage in criminal activities during their school years risk carrying the consequences well into adulthood, with records of offences being archived and consolidated for future reference.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The warning was conveyed by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on June 14, as he issued a notice cautioning students at all levels of education about the potential long-term consequences of criminal conduct.

“This is to warn every student from primary school, secondary school, college, and university that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is archiving and consolidating charges that may be preferred against each and every student involved in any crime,” stated the notice.

Under the advisory, offences that may appear minor at the time could remain on record and influence a student's prospects long after leaving school.

📌 What You Need to Know

The directorate made it clear that such records will not simply disappear once a case is closed, forgotten, or never even taken to court in the first place.

Instead, these records will automatically reflect on a person's Police Clearance Certificate, popularly known as the Certificate of Good Conduct, the moment they apply for one in the future.

For many young Kenyans hoping to secure jobs after finishing school, this particular certificate is often the deciding factor between getting hired and being turned away.

In this regard, the DCI specifically listed the kinds of offences that will be flagged on student records, including armed and unpeaceful demonstrations, arson, drug-related offences, cyberbullying, assault of any degree, drunkenness, and essentially any other reported crime of any kind.

The directorate further warned that this could become a permanent criminal mark that bars affected students from achieving their future goals and ambitions.

“Let Each Student Be Informed That It Will Automatically  Be Reflected On The Police Clearance Certificate (CERTIFICATE OF GOOD CONDUCT) when such a student applies for one,” warned DCI.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke