The 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination candidates will know the secondary schools they have been placed in by Tuesday next week.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha yesterday said Form One selection is almost done and that an all-inclusive criteria was used to ensure all children got equal chances despite their backgrounds.

“The selection results could be out either on Monday or Tuesday. I want to go personally and make sure that nobody has corrupted it and that we have protected the weakest link,” said the CS.

The CS made the remarks at Kenya High School when he commissioned a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classroom.

 “Kenya is a rainbow country. In a school like this one (Kenya High), I would like to see a Samburu girl here… not a Samburu girl who sat her exam in Nairobi, but somewhere in Maralal. Whether anybody likes it or not, we will do that,” he said.

Represents Kenyan fabric

He also said that candidates who sat their papers in urban slums and scored good marks would get an opportunity to join coveted schools. “The best of the best will come here (Kenya High) but we shall have affirmative action to ensure that national schools represent the Kenyan fabric, unlike in the past where children from poor backgrounds used to be elbowed out due to lack of money. This will not take place under my care,” said Magoha.

For those who do not have the financial capacity to join Form One, the CS said, another round of Elimu Scholarships would assist 9,000 disadvantaged children.

Out of the total number to receive scholarships, 4,000 are from urban slums and the rest from each sub-county.

“We will make sure we get the right candidates for these scholarships,” the CS said.

After the Form One selections are announced next week, parents will have about two weeks to prepare their children for admission as the Government moves to implement the 100 percent transition policy from primary to secondary levels.

Capacity of national schools

Some 11,857 candidates scored 400 marks and above in the examination and are expected to join national schools.

In total, the 103 national schools across the country have a capacity of about 30,000 learners. Another 315,275 candidates had 300-399 marks, 578,197 had 200-299 marks, 307,532 others had 100-199 marks while 1,170 had between 0-99 marks.

Going by the criteria used last year, candidates who sat the examination in prisons, refugee camps or are over age, might not be placed. Regarding the marking of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, the CS promised a faultless exercise that puts all children on an equal pedestal.

“As promised, the KCSE results will be released at the end of this month. There will definitely be casualties … voluntary casualties, because nobody forced them to try to steal the exam. There is a price to pay,” the CS said.

He warned against politicising the exam process, saying that from the beginning he cautioned against this. He said that anyone who dared mess with the integrity of the exam will face the full force of the law.

“The chicken are coming home to roost. Everybody guilty of breaching the exam will be punished according to Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) laws,” warned Magoha. “If you are a politician and you want to make noise, I will not listen to you. Every child will get the same dose. If you were caught with a cell phone, do not think you are going to scare us. If you like, you can go to court but I have a credible exam to deliver,” he said.