Nairobi – The Ministry of Education in Kenya has announced that a special Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination will be conducted in January for candidates who missed this year’s exams. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, while releasing the KCPE results, declared that the 9,354 candidates who were unable to sit for the exams will be given this opportunity to ensure they can transition with their peers.

According to Kenya News Agency, apart from the special exams, the ministry also facilitated 205 late registrants to take the exams. He emphasized the importance of these exams for the students’ transition to the next level of education. The Ministry of Education is set to conduct thorough mapping to administer the special exams to those who missed out.

Machogu also urged parents of the candidates who took the exams to ensure their children smoothly transition to secondary school, in line with the government’s policy of 100 percent transition. He reflected on the history of the KCPE, which started in 1985 and has been recognized for producing globally acclaimed talents. The first KCPE paper was administered in 1985, and the candidates who took that exam are now in their 50s, with some having achieved professional milestones such as becoming professors.

This year’s KCPE marked the end of the 8-4-4 primary school system in Kenya, which has been in place for nearly four decades. A total of 1,415,315 candidates sat for the KCPE exam this year. The shift is part of the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which introduces the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) in place of the KCPE.