MURANG’A: A total of 31,651 candidates in Murang’a County are prepared to undertake the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams this year. Among these students are 16,093 girls and 15,558 boys, who will be taking their national exams across 343 examination centers.
According to Kenya News Agency, the County Director of Education, Ann Kiilu, announced that preparations for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), scheduled to begin on October 25, are complete. A total of 23,382 candidates are expected to participate in the KPSEA, which will be conducted in 626 centers. An additional 100 candidates in the county will sit for the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) in 24 centers.
Kiilu confirmed that all preparations for the exams have been finalized and that those responsible for managing the exams have been briefed. “We have briefed all the officers mandated to man the national exams, and we anticipate we will deliver credible examinations,” she stated. She also
emphasized the importance of security, noting that only authorized personnel will be allowed access to the examination centers.
In addition to exam preparations, Kiilu reported progress on the construction of classrooms for Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). Twenty-two classrooms have already been completed and handed over, part of an initial allocation of 82 classrooms for the county. However, construction on nine classrooms has yet to commence. Kiilu assured that all classrooms were awarded to contractors who have committed to completing them before January 2024, when learners in grade eight are expected to advance to grade nine.
“Forty-four classrooms are at the finishing stage, while another twelve are at the roofing stages. Officers from the Ministry of Education are conducting routine inspections to ensure the classrooms are completed on time,” Kiilu added. Murang’a South Sub-County received 16 classrooms, Kandara 14, and Mathioya Sub-County the least, with five classrooms.
In the second phase, another
152 classrooms are planned for construction, with a budget of Sh152 million, expected to be completed by the end of December. Kiilu noted that the construction projects have been awarded to various contractors, some of whom have already begun work. “The money for both phases has been released and is in the beneficiary schools’ accounts. The construction is expected to take a period of one month. We hope by December the classrooms will be completed and ready for use,” she added.