Optimism high as inmates, private students sit exam

By MURIMI MWANGI and BONIFACE GIKANDI

Seven inmates at King’ong’o Maximum Prison in Nyeri are among the 449,246 candidates sitting KCSE exams. The inmates sat their first paper at 9am in a classroom constructed within the prison premises, and exuded confidence they would finally triumph.

Peter Kambo, the prison deputy officer in charge told Education a lot of preparations had been done and is optimistic the inmates will pass. “I expect next year you shall come back here to celebrate because I have hopes our students here will pass.”

Nyeri County Director of Education Harrison Kiburu said the exercise kicked off well but declined to give his expectation in terms of performance. “Let’s give the candidates a chance to do their exams. So long as there is peace let them get the highest grade they can,” he said.

In Murang’a, the exams kicked off smoothly as its 19,479 candidates sat the exams. Murang’a County Director of Education Mary Gaturu confirmed that exams started as scheduled in all schools. She said, all the supervisors reported in time and that all registered candidates sat for the exam, yesterday.

Murang’a County police commander Naomi Ichami visited a number of schools monitoring the security situation in the schools. She said armed police officers have been positioned in all schools to beef up security.

In Embu, 60 adults are among close to 8,000 students ­— 4,200 males and 3,748 females — who sat the exams, yesterday in 170 centres.

County Director of Education Beatrice Makau said no prisoner is sitting for the exams this year but noted that 33 males and 27 females are doing the exams as private candidates.

Makau said there was a rise of more than 200 candidates sitting the exams this year compared to last year.