Kajiado: Kajiado County has finalised preparations for this year's national examinations set to be administered across all learning levels, County Director of Education, Dr. Martin Cheruiyot, has said. Dr Cheruiyot confirmed that the Kenya Integrated Learning Assessment (KILEA), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations will be conducted smoothly as scheduled.
According to Kenya News Agency, 17 candidates from public schools, comprising nine boys and eight girls, and 11 candidates from private schools, comprising six boys and five girls, have registered for the KILEA assessment. The exercise will be conducted in two centres, with 13 distribution containers set aside for storage of examination materials.
For the KPSEA, 21,372 candidates from public schools, including 10,809 boys and 10,563 girls, have registered, alongside 10,079 candidates from private schools, including 4,981 boys and 5,098 girls. Fifty-eight learners with special needs, comprising 23 boys and 35 girls, will also sit for the examination in designated special centres. The assessment will take place in 483 public and 410 private centres supported by 15 storage containers.
In the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), 18,771 candidates from public schools, comprising 9,697 boys and 9,074 girls, and 5,491 candidates from private schools, comprising 2,735 boys and 2,756 girls, will sit for the assessment. The county also recorded 41 learners with special needs, including 15 boys and 26 girls. A total of 364 public and 185 private centres will host the examination, supported by 15 examination containers.
At the secondary level, 11,034 candidates from public schools, comprising 5,557 boys and 5,477 girls, and 3,622 from private schools, comprising 1,719 boys and 1,903 girls, will sit for the KCSE examination. Among them are 17 learners from public special schools, comprising 10 boys and seven girls, and 121 candidates from private special schools, comprising 64 boys and 57 girls. The KCSE will be conducted in 163 centres - 96 public and 67 private - with 15 storage containers distributed across the county.
Dr Cheruiyot said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has appointed supervisors for all examination centres and assigned one invigilator for every 20 learners. He noted that adequate arrangements have been made to ensure all candidates sit for their examinations in a safe and conducive environment. "We have made adequate preparations to ensure that all candidates sit for their examinations in a secure and conducive environment. Every centre has a supervisor, enough invigilators, and security personnel to ensure a smooth and credible process," said Dr Cheruiyot.
He added that each secondary school will have at least two police officers on duty during the examination period, while supervision in primary schools will be handled by school heads in line with the government's new policy to reduce heavy police presence. The Education Director, however, pointed out that the county still faces logistical challenges, including poor road networks and a shortage of four-wheel-drive vehicles, which may affect the distribution of examination materials to remote areas. Despite the challenges, Dr Cheruiyot assured that all measures have been put in place to ensure a smooth and credible examination period across the county.