Marsabit County faces severe disruptions in administering the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) due to weather-related challenges.
According to Kenya News Agency, heavy rains have rendered roads impassable and weather conditions unfavorable for flights, affecting 11 exam centers. These include centres in Laisamis sub-county like Ngurunit, Mpagas, Lepandera, and others, as well as Jjija and Arge in Loiyangalani and Shurr primary school in Turbi-Bubisa sub-county.
Komora reported that a mix-up of examination papers at Arge and Jjija centers was due to a lack of due diligence by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). Additionally, a helicopter tasked with transporting examination materials could not reach the affected areas because of the adverse weather. The exams, scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m., commenced at 9 a.m. in many centers due to these delays.
A tractor provided by the county government assisted in transporting exam materials and officials to Kituruni, Badassa, and Leyai areas in Saku Constituency, where rains have damaged roads and washed away a bridge. KNEC has registered 9,080 candidates for KCPE and 7,975 for KPSEA in Marsabit County, across 176 and 216 examination centers, respectively.
In a peculiar incident, 18 unregistered candidates appeared for the KPSEA exams at Illeret primary and junior secondary schools in North Horr constituency. These students had migrated with their families to Ethiopia due to drought and missed the mandatory registration process. Following a directive by the Ministry of Education, these candidates were allowed to take the exams.
For this examination cycle, 41 private KCPE candidates, including 27 females and 14 males, are registered. Additionally, three candidates in conflict with the law are taking their exams at the Moyale GK prison.
Komora, who was accompanied by county police commander Patrick Mwakio and county director of education Joseph Maki, warned against any attempts to circumvent exam procedures and stressed the need for integrity in administering the exams. Helicopters are being deployed to assist in accessing and distributing exams in rain-cut areas, and plans are in progress to navigate the challenging weather conditions. Examination officials, security personnel, and candidates are contending with the inclement weather to fulfill their responsibilities.