Kiambu’s poor KCPE results raise concern

By Eric Wainaina and Rushdie 

Kiambu, Kenya: It is a well economically endowed county, fairly staffed with qualified teachers and has adequate learning facilities but its education standards has remained low.

Kiambu is among the counties in the country that have been recording poor grades in national examinations.

History has ensured that Kiambu has good schools, but this has been fading year after year, thanks to the poor results in both primary and secondary education.

The 2012 to 2013 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) statistics shows the county did not attain the average mark of 250 of the possible 500.

In 2012, the county was ranked position 27 with a mean score of 246 and in last year’s results, it was ranked position 31 with a mean score of 244, with the public schools recording the worst performances.

The paradox of the top-performing district in Kiambu is that by 2010, the number of pupils attending private primary schools in Ruiru was almost equal to those attending public primary schools.

Thika East on the other hand had the least number of pupils enrolled in the academies among the then 35 districts in Central. Of the 37, 577 candidates who sat the examination in Kiambu County last year, 20,814 did not attain the half mark of 250.

According to the Kenya National Examination Council results, 640 pupils scored between51-100, 3156 (101-150), 7,524 (151-200) and 9, 463 scored between 201 and 250. Only 501 score 400 and above. The results have left leaders, clergy and residents bitter are now saying that the results do not befit the status of the county with is home to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

County Education Director Bernard Gitau, when contacted, said he would only comment on the performance after meeting with education officers and doing an analysis.

Fr Peter Mburu, in charge of Kiambu parish, which runs a primary school said last year’s results is not something to cause shock, saying in the past few years, the results have been going down yet the county has vast potential.

“Kiambu is like Kirinyaga, Makueni and West Pokot counties and its economic status is higher than these three. We are not mourning but we are not happy with the results more so because we have been going down each time,” he said.

Kiambu senator Kimani Wamatangi said parents and teachers should be fully involved in education programmes, decrying that most parents in area over emphasise on acquisition of material wealth as a panacea to social-economic challenges at the expense of education.

According to a former senior officer at the now disbanded Central Provincial Director of Education office in Nyeri, the affluent status of Kiambu and its proximity to Nairobi had worked against the morale of teachers in public primary schools. Meanwhile, Kisumu MPs have condemned calls by the Kenya National Association of Parents to stop enrolment of overage candidates to sit for KCPE examinations. The MPs termed the move discriminatory, saying it would kill the right to provide quality education for all irrespective of age.

The Association Secretary General Musau Ndunda had attributed poor results to registration of overage candidates to sit for the exam. Some schools were reported to have candidates with over 20 years.