Smooth start to KCPE exams

This year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations started smoothly on Tuesday despite a few cases of delay in materials caused by heavy rains in the countryside.

The 746,409 candidates reported to examination centres dotted across the country to write their Maths paper in the morning and English in the afternoon with minimal hitches.

In Nairobi, area educational boss Mary Omondi said there were no cases of delays or cheating reported to her office, signalling a good start to the tests.

Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association boss Joseph Karuga commended the mechanism put in place by the national examinations council to safeguard integrity of the tests.

Free primary education

Mr Karuga, who is also the headteacher at Nairobi Primary, said his network across the nation had given a good report on the progress of the examinations.

In Rift Valley, it was good news as well to the first candidates since the start of free primary education eight years ago.

Provincial director of education Beatrice Adu said there was adequate security and transport to ensure examination materials for the 189,271 pupils in the province were delivered smoothly and on time.

In Turkana West District, some 200 candidates from Sudan are among those sitting this year’s KCPE tests as private candidates.

Primary schools in Bungoma, Nangeni and Londo are among those in the area that have never managed to send a child to a national secondary school since it was started 50 years ago.

Nangeni Primary headteacher Chrisantus Mutambo said he was determined to change the situation this time round by ensuring that some of the 46 candidates sitting the ongoing tests excel.

Twelve male and five female inmates at the Kakamega GK Prison were among thousands of candidates who sat the examinations.

Western provincial director of education Kenneth Misoi said the examinations had started without any hitches. However, heavy rains delayed arrival of the examination papers in some schools in Migori and Nyatike districts in the morning.

The tests started in Kisumu without any major incidents reported.

In Bondo, district education officer Bicker Lunyangi said three boats were on Tuesday hired to deliver the examination papers to schools in Mageta, Oyamo, Ndeda and Sifu Islands.

The start of the tests in Transmara West and East was delayed at some centres due to heavy rains that rendered most roads impassable.

Candidates in several schools in Mombasa on Tuesday started the tests late due to lack of adequate vehicles to distribute examination materials. As a result, some examination officials were forced to use buses to deliver them.