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 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.
He revealed that a total of 31,802 candidates will sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in 343 centres within the county.
“In this year’s KCSE, we have more girls than boys. Out of the total candidates, 16,256, representing 51.1 percent, are girls while 15,546 are boys,” noted Wambua.
For the KPSEA, 23,004 candidates have been registered, while 25,037 learners will sit for the KJSEA. He added that one candidate from Murang’a Juvenile Remand will sit for KPSEA, and another from Murang’a Prison will take the KCSE.
The Director said 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. No unauthorized persons will be allowed to access the examination rooms,” he emphasized.
Wambua further clarified that only supervisors, invigilators, security officers, and head teachers are permitted inside the centres. “Other staff, like cooks, will remain restricted to the kitchen areas,” he said.
He noted 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.
“We will move across various schools to ensure there are no malpractices. Last year, Murang’a did not report any irregularities, and this year we aim to deliver another credible examination season,” he remarked.
Wambua added that KCSE practical examinations — including French, German, and Music — are already underway, while written papers will commence on November 3 with English Paper 1.
Acting Murang’a County Commissioner, Charles Muriithi, assured that security arrangements are in place.
“We have enough police officers deployed to examination centres, and they have been fully briefed. Unauthorized persons are warned against attempting to access these centres,” he cautioned.
By Bernard Munyao and Magdalene Wainaina
