KCSE exams disrupted by gunshots in Wajir County

North Eastern Regional Co-ordinator Mohamud Saleh said exam sessions at Abakore examination centre were stopped for almost 20 minutes as police sought to establish the source of the gunshots.PHOTO: COURTESY

Unknown gunmen opened fire near an exam centre in Wajir County, disrupting sitting of the history paper, yesterday.

North Eastern Regional Co-ordinator Mohamud Saleh said exam sessions at Abakore examination centre were stopped for almost 20 minutes as police sought to establish the source of the gunshots.

"There were gunshots in the area that forced disruption of the history paper but security officials there did not establish the source," Mr Saleh said.

He noted there were six police officers manning the centre at the time and some of them fired back when the shots were heard from outside the compound.

The centre is in a small town in Habaswein, near the border of Garissa and Wajir counties, an area that has been rocked by clan fighting over boundary disputes.

Saleh could not confirm whether those behind the shooting were Al Shabaab gunmen or local militia involved in clan fighting.

"The disruption was temporary and the students continued with their history paper minutes later," Saleh said.

He added that each exam centre in the area had at least six armed officers to ensure the safety of teachers and students.