This week’s KCPE examinations must not be disrupted by protests

Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidates in some regions will be writing their tests under difficult circumstances owing to political unrest. For this reason, everything must be done to ensure they are not distracted when the examinations begin tomorrow.

Already, violence associated with last Thursday’s repeat president elections has disrupted the revision programme of some candidates, especially those in boarding schools that were damaged by demonstrators out to stop IEBC officials from accessing their institutions. In a concerted bid to stop the voting exercise in some schools which were doubling as Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) polling stations, some buildings were damaged and laboratories destroyed. This was unfortunate because ultimately, those who will suffer most are innocent students or dependants of the protestors who were damaging school property. We must insist that leaders from areas where demonstrators disrupted the peace impress upon their supporters to stand down and allow the exams to go on uninterrupted. It would be tragic if the future of some students is destroyed by those agitating for reforms in the IEBC.