Officials report smooth start asKenya Certificate of Primary Education candidates sit exam

The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination kicked off in schools across the country yesterday.

Some 889,107 candidates are sitting the Class Eight examination this year in 24,278 centres. The examination has a total of seven subjects.

Mathematics and English papers were done yesterday.

Social Studies and Kiswahili papers are scheduled for today with Social Sciences and Religious Education are planned for tomorrow.

In conflict-ridden Kapedo along the Baringo/Turkana border, over 100 security officers were deployed to deliver examination papers. The Kenya Defence Forces soldiers kept watch over the 6,000 candidates.

The Kenya National Examination Council CEO Joseph Kivilu said some 25 candidates writing the examination would have been affected if security measures were not taken.

He said Silale Primary School is in the middle of the area where over 20 policemen were killed by bandits.
“The region is high risk and we are happy the candidates managed to write their first papers without a hitch,” said Kivilu.

Warring parties

Turkana County Education Director Nicodemus Anyang said KDF, currently in the area conducting an operation to flush out bandits and search for guns belonging to the slain 21 officers, oversaw the KCPE examination. “There were fears the bandits might attack if a small group of soldiers took charge thus necessitating an increase to 100 officers in institutions located at Kapedo,” said Anyang.

Anyang said 1,500 candidates at Kakuma refugee camp also sat the examination following police intervention in bringing the warring parties together.

A spot check on primary schools in Nairobi revealed a peaceful start on the first day.

At Nairobi Primary School, Joseph Karuga, the head teacher, said examination papers for all the 183 candidates were intact.

Mr Karuga, who is also the chairman of the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association, said no hitches have been reported. “I have been in touch with the rest of the head teachers and no one has given me a bad report. Even in Kapedo where there were chaos, it is all fine,” said Karuga.

At Nairobi’s Moi Avenue Primary School, candidates were prepared to tackle their first paper, which commenced at 8.30am.

The school’s headteacher Eunice Mlati, gave her candidates a last minute assurance, telling them the examination would be as easy as the test papers they had done before.

The elated candidates said they expected exemplary performance this year after results are released. “Nothing can prevent me from scoring 410 marks or more and from joining Kamusinga Friends School. I’m very sure I will become an aeronautical engineer in future,” said the school’s top candidate Derrick Mbaria.

In Nakuru County, candidates and teachers at the academic giant Moi Primary School-Kabarak have vowed to improve on last year’s performance of a mean score of 378 marks.

 

Political career

The teachers and candidates, who spoke to The Standard, said they were confident about their preparations which included finishing the syllabus in May, regular examinations and revision.

The top two candidates Sharon Jebet and Phil-Blair Simiyu said they had done their part adding that they are both aiming for 440 marks. “We have prepared well and our teachers have also done their best as we have been doing lots of revision papers. I now feel confident enough to face the examination,” said Jebet who wants to be a civil engineer in future.

Among this year’s candidates is Kapsabet Member of County Assembly (MCA) Fred Kipkemboi. He sat for his examination at Nandi Primary School in Nandi County.

The 39-year-old, who dropped out of school in 1992, sat the examination together with his first born daughter Sharon Chepchirchir, who was at the neighbouring Namgoi Primary School.

Mr Kipkemboi was registered as a private student in the centre where he is index number is 131 out of the 226 privately sponsored students.

Speaking to The Standard at the school after completing the Mathematics paper, the MCA said he had experienced difficulties in his political career owing to lack of formal education, which he said had pushed him to complete his education.

“I had a lot of problems during my campaign period. Every time I was out campaigning, someone would question me about my education level and compare it with my ability to lead,” he said, adding he hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

Kirinyaga County reported a decline in the number of boys sitting the examination.

According to statistics by education officials in the county, the number of male candidates this year stands at 5,984 against 6,311 girls.

James Njiraine, a parent whose son is a candidate attributed the decline to second generation brews. “As long as the county remains with 1,156 liquor outlets against 300 schools, both secondary and primary, the boy child’s education will continue being threatened,” Mr Njiraine said.

But not all candidates got a smooth start as two pupils of Simowett Primary School in Koibatek sub-County, Baringo, were barred from sitting the examination after it emerged they were not registered.

They had sat last year’s KCPE exam and scored 280 and 294 marks.

Brian Kiprop, a guardian to one of the pupils, asked the Education ministry to take stern action against the school’s former head teacher for failure to register the candidates.

“The head teacher should explain why he did not register my daughter despite having paid for the examination on time,” said the angry guradian.

Education Officer Richard Obonyo blamed the former head teacher saying he has dimmed their future and promised that action would be taken against the teacher.

—Report by Rael Jelimo, Fredrick Okoth, Munene Kamau, Mercy Kahenda and Silah Koskei