PS: Probe how 'closed' school is exam centre

Permanent Secretary in the State Department for Vocational and Training Dr Julius Jwan speaks with KCPE candidate at Eldo Kings star Primary School after finishing Science papers in Eldoret [Photo: Peter Ochieng]

The Ministry of Education has ordered an investigation after a school which was closed in 2019 registered Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates.

Principal Secretary for Basic Education Julius Jwan was yesterday shocked to find that Eldo Kings Star Academy, a private institution in Eldoret town's Langas residential area, was operating despite being condemned in September 2019.

Dr Jwan learnt during a KCPE monitoring exercise that the school’s registration was revoked because it was not conducive for learning and its teaching staff did not have Teachers Service Commission (TSC) registration numbers.

The school had 45 KCPE candidates and 372 pupils. A section of the school had residential houses, with tenants washing and hanging clothes as KCPE examinations were going on in the same compound.

Innocent candidates

Jwan also discovered that pupils and tenants shared toilets even during the examination period.

Tenants took off upon seeing the team comprising Ministry of Education officials and the police.

“We are going to discuss with our officers why this school still exists yet this is what they are in the field to do,” Jwan said.

He said the candidates were innocent and would not be punished for mistakes by education officials and the school management.

“This school was condemned in 2019, and we have not seen any report that shows it has met the conditions for reopening.

"It was condemned because they didn’t have TSC registered teachers,” he said.

The school’s head teacher Duncan Ocholla told the PS that the institution has 372 pupils. He could not produce a list of the learners.

“When we were closing school for third term, I was asked by the director to collect all records and he took the documents for counter-checking,” Ocholla said.

Jwan assured the 45 KCPE candidates that they would sit the exams and transit to secondary school in July and said a team of education officials would visit the school to ascertain why it continued operating.

“There are good public primary schools in the area and parents should not take their children to dilapidated private institutions,” Jwan said.

In Meru, a 20-year-old KCPE candidate died on Monday evening after being hit with a stone by a playmate during a football game.

The candidate died on Monday evening at Maenyi in Luciuti location, Antobutwe Kiongo ward in Igembe sub-County of Meru County.

Police said Elias Munene Mururu was hit with a stone by another boy who is said to be a Form One student from Ntangi Secondary School. 

What started as a friendly football match between village boys turned tragic after the boys engaged in a fight.

Residents said the candidate was on his way home but joined other boys in a football match.

The boy accidentally stepped on his colleague’s foot during the match.

A scuffle ensued and that is when he was hit on the head with a stone.

The boy died while being taken to Maua Hospital.

Igembe North Deputy County Commissioner Harrison Ndwili said the boy was confirmed dead at Nyambene General Hospital.

In Kirinyaga County, three pupils from Kirinyaga Central are sitting KCPE exams from Kerugoya County Hospital where they have been admitted.

Grace Njoroge, the sub-county education officer, said they would ensure the candidates sit exams undisturbed from their hospital beds. [Stephen Rutto, Jane Mugambi and Janerose Gacheri]