Garissa, Kenya—Solomon Chesut, the Garissa County Commissioner, has publicly assured teachers and candidates taking the national exams that ample security has been deployed to ensure the process runs smoothly.
According to Kenya News Agency, who spoke during the opening of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination container, the security measures have been extended to remote areas along the Kenya-Somalia border and regions with impassable roads.
“This is a special county because of the challenges of al Shabaab and roads that are impassable. There are two helicopters on standby to transport exams to areas near the border such as Liboi, Fafi, Dadaab, and Hulugho. Everything has been set and we believe we are going to have a good exercise,” Chesut stated. He further added that there are hopes of facing no challenges during the exams.
Garissa County has a total of 191 centers, with 4,784 candidates from public schools and 5,072 from private schools slated to sit for the KCPE exams. The number of boys sitting for the exams is 6,119, while the number of girls is 3,737. In terms of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), there are 4,287 candidates from public schools—2,355 boys and 1,932 girls—alongside 6,769 candidates from private schools, comprising 4,774 boys and 1,995 girls.
The Northeastern region, which includes Garissa County, has a total of 609 centers. According to the Northeastern Regional Director for Education, Adan Roble, 11,917 boys and 7,793 girls from public schools, and 4,013 boys and 2,479 girls from private schools are registered for the KCPE exams. Roble stated that all systems are in place and the examinations should proceed without issues.