One million candidates set to begin KCPE exams

Examination materials have arrived safely in various examination centers across the country ahead of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams set to begin on Tuesday, October 30.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed is on Monday expected to lead officials in supervising rehearsals for the one million KCPE candidates.

In Kajiado County, Deputy Commissioner Charles Wambugu acknowledged the arrival of exam materials assuring parents and candidates of their safety.

“Those who wish to cheat in exams can go ahead but they should know that the government machinery to secure the exams is intact,” said the commissioner.

The situation is, however, a bit different in areas of Baringo County that have been hit by insecurity. Locale, Silale, Kapedo and Pomelo have been merged to enable the 98 candidates to sit their exams in a secure environment. The centre is heavily manned after recent attacks that left three people dead.

A section of MPs want the government to intervene and ensure that all the candidates write their  papers in a safe environment.

As the candidates go through rehearsals on Monday, several concerns will be on the checklist. Officials will confirm the school’s registration with centre codes and registered candidates against their photos in an exercise designed to weed out imposters.

The sitting arrangements will be confirmed, with officials checking that candidates are placed at least 1.22 meters apart.

The 1,000,759 will be sitting the exams this year. On Tuesday, they will begin by writing the Mathematics and English language tests in the morning before writing English composition in the afternoon.

Candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) began their practicals on October 22, and set to write the theory tests from November 5.