The start of the national KJSEA and KPSEA examinations in Turkana County was marked by emergency relocations, with education officials moving candidates from insecure and flood-hit areas to safer centres.
Authorities relocated some of the 48,250 candidates for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) from areas affected by insecurity and the backflow of Lake Turkana to ensure their safety during the national examinations.
County Director of Education Henry Lubanga said parts of Aroo Sub-county have recently experienced increased bandit attacks, disrupting learning in areas such as Kainuk, Kaputir, Lorogon, Kapelbok, Nawoyaregae, and Nakwamoru.
“We are coordinating with respective Sub-county security committees, especially in Aroo, which has witnessed frequent attacks, to ensure that candidates are moved to common examination centres for enhanced security. We are well prepared and leaving nothing to chance,” said Dr Lubanga.
He added that several schools affected by Lake Turkana’s back-flow, including Natole, Katula, Ngimuriae, Merier, Nangitony, St Mark’s Elelea Namukuse, Longech, and Lopangae in Turkana Central have also relocated their candidates to facilities on higher ground.
Kalokol Mixed Primary School headteacher Daniel Etabo said the institution, which is located on higher ground, had received an influx of pupils from displaced schools such as Natole Comprehensive School, straining available facilities.
“We have three new classrooms constructed and equipped by the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) at a cost of Sh6 million to address congestion brought about by hosting displaced learners. The new classrooms are accommodating Junior Secondary School learners,” Mr Etabo said.
KPC Foundation Board of Trustees member Joyce Emanikor said the new classrooms would directly benefit more than 135 Junior Secondary School students.
“This will ease congestion, create a conducive environment for learning, and ultimately enhance the school’s overall academic performance,” she said.
Turkana Central Deputy County Commissioner Thomas Siele said the sub-county has five examination containers to ease distribution of papers to both public and private schools.
“We call on all centre managers to ensure they comply with KNEC rules and regulations, as we are not deploying police officers. We will also be visiting schools to ensure the exercise runs smoothly. We urge centre managers to allow all registered candidates to sit for the examinations, including those who have been at home for various reasons,” said Mr Siele.
In Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, a total of 8,077 candidates are sitting the KPSEA examinations, while 4,598 candidates are sitting for the KJSEA.
