By Augustine Oduor

Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has said all national examination papers to be done this year will contain security features customised for each candidate.

Knec secretary Paul Wasanga said for the first time in Kenya’s history, each candidate will use question papers specifically meant for him or her. "It will no longer be possible for any candidate to use any examination paper. Each student will be expected to use his or her paper because security features will detect," he said.

Wasanga told The Standard in an exclusive interview that unlike previously where invigilators could give any student any question or answer paper, this time each student has a specific paper, which he or he has to use. "We have enhanced security to the level of individualising the question paper. The paper will have details for each candidate and this will check cheating," he said.

Also for the first time in Kenya, Wasanga said certificates to be awarded to candidates next year would have their photographs.

"We are improving in all fronts. We also conducted online registration this year and we do not expect any complaints on registration at examination time," he said.

The chief examiner also revealed on Tuesday that the number of candidates expected to sit national examinations this year has increased by about 77,000.

As a result, the number of contracted professional staff who will work during dissemination of the examinations has also been increased by 41,000.

Teacher unions

Wasanga said the number of students who will sit Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) has risen from 357,789 candidates last year to 413,177. And those expected to sit Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) now stands at 775,839 up from 754,108 last year.

The chief examiner said marking, invigilation and coordination fees have been increased by between 10 and 30 per cent, putting to rest previous complaints on low pay.

"The least paid marked script this year will be at Sh40 up from Sh32. Some scripts go as high as Sh65," he said. Wasanga said plans are complete for the 2011 national examinations.

"We had a meeting today (yesterday) with all the provincial police officers, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association and other stakeholders in preparations for the examinations," he said. Today, Knec secretary will preside over the commencement of a sensitisation campaign that will run until the start of the national examinations.

"We are going to talk about examinations management," he said.

Expected at the meeting will be provincial directors of education, provincial examination officers, district education officers, trade unions, and teacher unions.