Murang'a: Murang'a County Director of Education, Philip Wambua, has confirmed that preparations for this year's national examinations are complete across all schools in the county. Speaking during supervision of exam rehearsals for the candidates set to sit for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), Wambua said all education officers and supervisors have been briefed to ensure smooth and credible examinations.
According to Kenya News Agency, a total of 31,802 candidates will sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in 343 centres within the county. Wambua noted that this year's KCSE has more girls than boys, with 16,256 girls representing 51.1 percent of the total candidates, while 15,546 are boys. For the KPSEA, 23,004 candidates have been registered, and 25,037 learners will sit for the KJSEA. Additionally, one candidate from Murang'a Juvenile Remand will sit for KPSEA, and another from Murang'a Prison will take the KCSE.
The Director stated that there are 566 examination centres for KJSEA and 626 for KPSEA, while 81 private candidates will sit for KCSE in six designated centres. Each examination centre will have a supervisor and enough invigilators to ensure compliance with KNEC regulations, with no unauthorized persons allowed in the examination rooms. He further emphasized that only supervisors, invigilators, security officers, and head teachers are permitted inside the centres, while other staff, such as cooks, will remain restricted to the kitchen areas.
Wambua explained that officers from the Ministry of Education, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will be deployed to monitor and inspect the examinations to uphold integrity. The aim is to ensure there are no malpractices, as last year Murang'a did not report any irregularities. Additionally, KCSE practical examinations, including French, German, and Music, are already underway, with written papers set to commence on November 3 with English Paper 1.
Acting Murang'a County Commissioner, Charles Muriithi, assured that security arrangements are in place. He confirmed that enough police officers are deployed to examination centres and have been fully briefed, warning unauthorized persons against attempting to access these centres.