Inside State's grand plan to deliver smooth KCSE, curb cheating
Some 996,078 candidates will be sitting this year’s KCSE exams across the 10,765 examination centres in the country.
by LUKE AWICH
Audio By Vocalize
Education CS Julius Ogamba/HANDOUT
The government has unveiled a tough, multi-sectoral plan to ensure a flawless and credible Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Education examination amid fears of cheating and heavy rains.
Education CS Julius Ogamba on Wednesday unveiled before Parliament safeguards his ministry is putting in place to ensure the national exams proceed without a hitch.
Some 996,078 candidates will be sitting this year’s KCSE exams across the 10,765 examination centres in the country.
The CS told the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly that the government has brought a multi-agency team on board to jointly manage security, logistics and digital monitoring of examination materials across all centres.
“In order to deliver a seamless and credible examination and assessment process, the Ministry has embraced a multi-agency approach that involves working together with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration; the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, the Teachers Service Commission, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, among other stakeholders,” Ogamba told MPs.
The ministry has also engaged 342,687 professionals, including invigilators, supervisors, security and centre managers, who have been deployed nationwide.
“We have issued public communication notifying members of the public of the following toll-free lines to report any incidents of fraud or malpractices related to examinations/assessments,” Ogamba noted.
“The toll free numbers are KNEC – 0800721410 and 0800724900 and IPOA’s 1559 in case of misconduct by officers involved in the examination exercise.”
To counter weather disruptions, helicopters are on standby to deliver papers and assist in flood-prone regions.
The ministry also has -wheel drive vehicles to respond to any emergency.
“We have four choppers, four-wheel vehicles in place to respond to any challenges,” the CS stated.
The Meteorological Department has already issued an alert of moderate to heavy rainfall in several parts of the country this week.
Ogamba said the government is using real-time tracking systems to monitor the movement of exam materials and seal loopholes for malpractice as well as transport challenges.
“The centres shall be out of bounds for all unauthorised persons. Centre managers have been informed of who the authorised persons are and advised to strictly adhere to the guidelines on administration of the assessments and examinations,” he said.
“All registered examination centres have been mapped to the nearest distribution centres to ensure timely delivery of papers. To ensure that no candidate misses their examination or assessment, contingency plans have been put in place to address any emerging challenges.”
Ogamba was accompanied by Kenya National Examinations Council chief executive officer David Njengere.
The meeting was meant to appraise the committee on the status of preparedness for the 2025 national examinations.
The CS also revealed that his ministry has purchased 43 new containers to address the identified gaps from last year’s experience.
According to Ogamba, this year’s exams will be administered in 396 subcounties, using 659 containers, in 642 distribution centres.
Candidates for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will get their results starting December, while KCSE results will be out by January 2026, he said.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
With the KCSE entering a critical stage, the government says all measures are in place to ensure every candidate sits the exams smoothly and without interference.
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