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| Education PS Belio Kipsang handing over KCPE exam papers to head teacher of Mwiyenga primary school Sammy Ombayo at the Kakamega county commissioners’ office container to launch the exercise at 6 Am.Pics by Isaac Eale |
This year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations is off to a smooth start.
Education officials among them the Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, her Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, Teachers Service Commission chief executive Nancy Macharia and Kenya National Examination Council board chairman Prof George Magoha were at various stations as early as 6am to supervise the opening of exam containers.
Security has been tightened across the country to avoid any tampering with examination materials.
A total of 1,060,703 candidates will sit this year’s end of primary school examination.
In Narok County, the county commissioner George Natembeya said the government has put in place alternative means of transport, including tractors to ferry exams to centres in areas that are experiencing heavy rains such as Olpusimoru and Olokurto in Narok North Sub-County.
The examinations council this year introduced introduced personalised optical mark reader forms for KCPE tests in order to curb cases of candidates who have problems shading their index number correctly and those who inadvertently shade the lozenge (ellipse) for absent yet they did the examinations.
In Lamu County, journalists were barred from taking photos as examination containers were opened. The Lamu education director William Micheni said the county is a security zone and warned journalists they risk arrest if they visit examination centres.