Behind bars: Inmates serving life sentences write KCPE

Peter Moru who is serving a life sentence for defilement at Naivasha GK prison ready to undertake an examination task. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

A 62-year-old convict serving a life sentence is among candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.

David Kiplangat Tonui joined nine prisoners in Naivasha and Kericho who decided to return to school and sit the examinations as they continue serving their sentences.

“I opted to go back to school so that I can learn the basics of common law and be able to defend as well as launch my own appeals in court," said Tonui who is at the Kericho GK main prison. He was jailed for life after he was found guilty of murder.

At Naivasha, which is one of the largest correctional facilities in the country, 20 candidates are sitting the exams.

During the exams, two of the inmates who had been registered missed out, with one having been transferred while the other had been set free.

According to Prison Superintendent Kevin Muhoro, the inmates were well prepared for the national exams.

He said teaching personnel and learning materials remained a challenge for the prison that has over 1,000 students.

Peter Moru, who is serving a life sentence for defilement, said that they were looking forward to writing the exams.

“We have many challenges like lack of enough books and teachers but we are sure we can beat the odds,” said Moru who dropped out of school in class four.

In Nyeri, there were 17 inmates sitting their exams at the King'ong'o GK Prison.

One boy from Mukurwe-ini sub-county who was involved in a motorcycle accident was sitting his papers at the Nyeri Provincial General Hospital.

In Murang'a, three candidates were sitting their exams at the Murang'a Juvenile Centre.

State Department for Implementation of Curriculum Reforms' Principal Secretary Prof Fatuma Chege said 17 inmates were sitting the KCPE at King'ong'o Prison. 

Kakamega main prison with over 1,500 inmates has 22 candidates sitting this year’s exams.

An invigilator attends to Peter Moru who is serving a life sentence for defilement at Naivasha GK prison as he undertakes exam task. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The prison Officer-In Charge Japheth Onjiri said that they had done all within their means to prepare the candidates for the exams.

“I believe they will carry the positive attitude they have been showing during classwork and pass highly. The fact that they chose to go back to the classroom even as they are way past the age of primary going children in itself tells me they will score high grades,” he said.

Onjiri sourced for a hall outside the prison environment for the candidates to sit the exams.

And four pupils from Kakamega Borstal institute sat their day one paper at Shikusa Primary school.

Senior superintendent of prison Roda Anyim said she received the four a few months ago and liaised with the nearest exam centre, Shikusa Primary, to have them sit the paper.

“We have been training and telling them that education is an equaliser and that if they pass well they could depart from communal vices. I believe they will score highly and get a chance to be better adults in future,” she said.

The 2021 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) started this morning with 1,225,693 candidates expected to undertake the exams.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) said this represents a 2.86 per cent increase from last year's KCPE candidate population registered for the national test.

This means that 34,085 more candidates are sitting this year's KCPE compared to last year.

The examination will take place in 28,248 exam centres across the country and be supervised by 242,406 teachers assigned by the Teachers Service Commission.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha supervised the opening of sealed examination containers and oversaw the distribution of exam materials in Kakamega County.

(Reporting by Anthony Gitonga, Boniface Gikandi, Ndungu Gachane and Robert Amalemba)