• Ten schools in Ganze subcounty in Kilifi affected, five in Kauma
• Police Land Cruisers deployed to rescue situation in Kwale after heavy rains on Monday destroyed roads.
Heavy rains, impassable roads and floods at the Coast caused delays in the start of KCPE examinations as the countrywide exercise began on Tuesday.
In Kilifi county, more than 400 candidates were evacuated from Kauma and Ganze subcounties and sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam in safe zones after their schools flooded.
Flash floods almost halted the exercise but swift action by Education and Interior ministries, the Kenya Red Cross Society alongside other stakeholders saved the situation.
Kilifi county education director Eunice Khaemba confirmed 408 candidates who affected sat their examinations in safer grounds.
Addressing journalists after dispatching examination papers to 127 exam centres in Malindi, Khaemba said 15 schools were affected by the flash floods, 10 in Ganze and five in Kauma.
Those in Ganze were evacuated to Vitengeni Boarding School.
Khaemba said 261 candidates were affected in Ganze and 147 in Kauma.
In Kilifi, 34,367 candidates are sitting the exam in 661 centres, both private and public.
In Kwale county, exam papers were delayed for some hours due to bad roads caused by heavy rains that persisted on Monday night in some parts of Lunga Lunga.
Speaking at Kwale Primary in Matuga, education director Jane Njogu said vehicles ferrying examination papers got stuck on muddy roads in Kanana.
Police Land Cruisers were sent to rescue the situation, she said.
More than 18,000 candidates are sitting for the national exam in Kwale.
In Taita Taveta, exams started on time despite heavy rainfall and impassable roads.
Education director Simon Wanjohi said they have put up mechanisms to ensure exam papers are delivered on time.
“Some parts of Taveta have impassable roads because of the ongoing rains but everything is under control. We have four-wheel drive vehicles ready to distribute exam papers in areas that have such challenges,” he said.
Parts of Njukini, Kimala, Mata and Kimorigo in Taveta subcounty have been experiencing downpour since last week.
Two inmates from Manyani Maximum Prison are part of the 8,236 who will sit for the three-day examination in the county.
County commissioner Rodah Onyancha said a team of security officers had been deployed to guard all centres.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha expressed confidence that the national examinations will be free from any irregularities.
Magoha, who spoke in Mombasa after supervising the opening of containers said, “We opened the container at 6am and I wish to say that the container system is very efficient. Therefore, the fidelity of this examination is unquestionable.”
He said there have been attempts by certain teachers in some regions to buy the papers "but they did not succeed".
“The good news is that we have not picked any fake examination papers, even though there have been attempts and a lot of backroom plans by certain teachers in certain hotspots," Magoha said.
He said some of the regions that were marked as hot spots for cheating were Garissa and Mandera.
“The downside of this year’s examinations is the rains that have affected some regions. However, we have 10 helicopters at our disposal. No child will miss an examination."
Regions most affected are Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Lamu and Kwale counties.
At the same time, the minister warned school heads against blocking candidates from sitting for the examinations due to fee balances or any other reason.
Edited by R.Wamochie