Security in conflict prone areas in the country ahead of the national examinations set to begin this week.
Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo said adequate security measures has been put in place to avoid any disruption of the national exercise.

He said the ministry of interior last week met officials from the education sector on plans to ensure that the national examination is conducted without hitches.

“The ministry of education and together with the ministry of interior and national coordination and all the other relevant agencies that are involved met a few weeks ago to coordinate efforts to ensure that the examinations are conducted successfully,” said Omollo.

He said all necessary arrangements have also been put in place to effectively deal with any emergencies that will arise in the course of the examination. He assured parents that the state is in full control of the security situation in the north rift region that was hit by banditry.

“I want to assure the Kenyan public not to expect any disruptions because we are fully ready,” added Omollo.

He also said the state is vigilant over areas that have previously witnessed violence as a result of v border related conflicts such as Sondu. He explained that security has been beefed up in areas affected by restlessness while additional police officers are set to be added as the examination proceeds to avoid disruptions.

Omollo was speaking yesterday in Nairobi when he officially opened the Africa International University Biennial Conference where scholars are set to discuss and propose ways of promoting peace in the country and in the continent.

He was accompanied by Chairman of National Integration and Cohesion Commission Samuel Kobia among other officils of the commission.

The state’s assurance comes in the wake of fresh resurgence of banditry in Baringo South that has caused tension in the region and schools.

The fresh tension has been occasioned by the killing of national police reservists in the Kiserian area which disrupted the calmness witnessed in the area for about six months.

Learning in schools such as Kiserian, Mukutani, Kapindasum, Arabal and Kasiela has been the most affected.

The bandits who have now deployed new tactics of ambush along the road have caused panic, especially on the ferrying of exams to schools in volatile regions such as Mukutani and Arabal where they have to travel every morning and evening for about 140 kilometres to pick exams in Marigat.

This poses a danger to exam supervisors, headteachers and security agencies escorting exams. The national exams are set to start next week in many schools in Baringo next week and eight schools are facing challenges of insecurity ahead of exams.

According to the Kenya National Examinations Council CEO David Njengere, KCSE examinations will be done twice each day and the papers collected twice each day.
He said the morning paper will be collected and after it is completed, it will be returned as they collect the second paper.

He said the council will use 576 distribution centres or containers for storage of Kenya Primary School Education Assessment and KCPE examinations. Further, 567 containers will be used for the distribution of KCSE papers.

The new wave of attacks has left thousands of learners who are set to sit their national examinations in the banditry prone North Rift restless.

The attacks have left at least five people dead in the past one month.
The worst hit is Baringo County where eight schools are affected with the situation being aggravated following the killing of two people in Baringo North and Baringo South.

Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren and his Baringo North counterpart Joseph Makilap hit out at security personnel in the region for not giving the right information to the National government on the prevailing security situation in the porous region.

According to Prof Kindiki, the government has set aside Sh100 million for reconstruction of hundreds of schools which were vandalised as a result of the perennial banditry in the restive region which will cost Sh100 million.