By PD Team and KNA

All Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination material for the more than one million candidates have been delivered to 479 containers ready for daily dispatch.

Education Principal Secretary, Belio Kipsang said yesterday the necessary machinery has been mobilised in regions that have recently been experiencing enhanced rainfall, rendering some roads impassable.

The areas include Isiolo, Samburu, Turkana and Marsabit. Although Garissa has not had issues, it has been receiving enhanced rainfall but standby team has been put in place.

“Examinations have arrived in all 479 examination containers. We have adequately mobilised the necessary machinery and where needed, materials have been delivered in choppers,” he said.

The PS made the remarks when he toured Nairobi Primary School to assess progress of rehearsals, which he said were successfully undertaken in all the 27,000 examination centres.

Knec Acting chief executive Dr Mercy Karogo, who was also at Nairobi Primary, said there has been zero exposure of the exams.

“We are all ready and prepared for the candidates, the exams are ready and we want to wish them well and remind them of the 100 per cent transition to secondary schools,” she said.

Nairobi’s Moi Avenue was also a centre for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) qualifying test for about 25 students seeking to sit for the main exam next year.

Education Cabinet secretary, Prof George Magoha made unannounced visit to candidates affected by recent closure of sub-standard education facilities in Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi.

Magoha visited Umoja Primary school at around 7am and wished candidates well, among them 33 from Green Field school that he closed down last month for having sub-standard structures.

The impromptu visit caught exam supervisors and the candidates by surprise, with the CS reported to have warned invigilators against entertaining any form of malpractice.

In Tana River, seven schools located in flood prone areas have been relocated to safer exam centres after nearby river burst its banks.

County Director of Education, James Nyaga said the schools near River Tana in Galole and Tana Delta sub-counties are unsafe and difficult to access owing to the heavy rains and swelling river.

“Students in areas of Kitere and Mnazini village that are across the river have been moved to Mnazini schools closer to the market centre,” he said.

Nyaga said the students will be accommodated at the nearest boarding schools and will also be provided with meals.

Mau schools

Elsewhere, none of the 15 schools inside Maasai Mau forest is a gazetted KCPE exams centre. Consequently, no examination will be undertaken there since the government shut their doors in July, though they were operational in Third term.

Pupils who were learning in these schools, reportedly moved with their parents following an eviction order. Candidates are said to have been registered in schools neighbouring the 46,000-hectare forest which is under the management of Narok county government.

Dickson Ritan, the leader of Joint Mau Forest Security team said yesterday that even in the previous years, the schools have not been examination centres, adding that they lacked teachers and basic learning facilities.

“They were built to open up the forest for settlement. Most of them have no toilets, desks, books and even access roads,” he said. 

In Kisumu, the County director of Education, Isaac Atebe said nothing has bee left to chance, assuring that all is set to have exams are administrated smoothly.

Kisumu was recently declared examination irregularity hot-spot owing to last year’s occurrence of cheating, which led to the dismissal of a school principal.

Atebe affirmed that enough security and education ministry officials have been deployed to man the exercise, in addition to sealing all loopholes that could lead to exam cheating.

In Budalangi, 26 candidates from Maduwa and Bubamba primary schools will sit for their exams at a neighbouring Osieko Primary School due to floods.

Busia county director of Education Thadeus Owuor said the candidates were moved from the two schools because they were flooded following heavy rains which have been pounding the area.

Owuor said other candidates from Kajei Primary School in Teso North constituency have also been moved to Kangetuny Primary School due to a similar incident.

In Naivasha, 27 inmates sitting the KCPE papers from Naivasha GK prison are confident of challenging other candidates. Officer-in-charge of the prison Samuel Ruto said the oldest candidate is 59 while the youngest is aged 19.

“We have a total of 27 inmates who are sitting for KCPE this year and they are ready to compete with those in the public and private schools,” he said.

He said the education programme in prison has turned out to be one of the main rehabilitation tools with the number of inmates joining it on the rise.

Meanwhile, police in Nyandarua County have launched investigations following the death of a Form Four student yesterday. 

The 18-year-old who was expected to sit for this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams at Wanjohi Mixed Secondary School was found dead in his room by his parents.

Nyandarua County Police Commander Gideon Ngumi said the deceased’s body was discovered by his parents after he failed to wake in the morning for school.