The suspects were paraded at RIB headquarters in Kigali on September 5, 2026, among 81 people arrested in connection with the alleged cheating scheme. The remaining 42 suspects are still under investigation.
The two vice mayors are Mukanyandwi Janvière, Vice Mayor of Kirehe District in charge of Social Affairs, and Muhayeyezu Joseph Désiré, Vice Mayor of Nyamasheke District in charge of Economic Development.
The 39 suspects include 27 men and 12 women and are drawn from six categories, including district vice mayors, district education officials, school headteachers, teachers, examination supervisors and other people allegedly involved in facilitating the cheating.
RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry said some suspects disguised the practice as 'helping children' while actually providing them with answers during examinations.
Investigators found cases where pupils from the same school had remarkably similar answers.
In Nyamasheke, a teacher allegedly photographed examination papers before they were distributed and sent them to a librarian, who reportedly used artificial intelligence to generate answers that were then printed and distributed to pupils.
RIB said testimonies from pupils also helped uncover the scheme.
RIB said the suspects are being investigated for three offences: abuse of authority for personal gain, forgery and disclosure of professional secrets.
Abuse of authority for personal gain falls under Rwanda's anti-corruption law and, upon conviction, can carry seven to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million.
Forgery carries a possible five to seven-year prison sentence and a fine of Rwf3 million to Rwf5 million, or one of those penalties.
Those convicted of disclosing professional secrets can face one to two years in prison.
The Ministry of Education recently announced that 7,188 pupils who sat the Primary Leaving Examinations were found to have cheated and will be required to retake the exams.
RIB said the scheme was allegedly intended to boost district performance rankings by producing higher examination scores, even where pupils had not acquired the expected knowledge.
