No candidate will be denied a chance to write KCPE exams, says Machogu

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu has ordered that all eligible candidates be allowed to sit this year's Kenya Certificate for Primary Education even are reports made rounds that some schools and examination centres failed to register their candidates.

The announcement by the CS is a major relief to candidates who feared missing out on the crucial exams after their schools failed to register them for the as required.

"The Ministry of Education has received reports that there are schools/examination centres which, for one reason or the other, did not register some of their candidates for the upcoming Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination," Machogu said in a communication dated October 29, 2023, and addressed to the Kenya National Examinations Council.

The regional, county and sub-county directors of education and all officers responsible for administering the examination have also been copied in the communication.

Machogu said stern action will be taken against those who continue to deny learners access to education.

"This is a serious breach which wrongfully disenfranchises learners. Appropriate action will therefore be taken against those responsible, in accordance with the law," he stated.

Machogu observed that being the last cohort of candidates to sit for the examination after 38 years of KCPE, no learner will be left out.

"Since this is the last KCPE exam, learners shall not be disadvantaged by exclusion from the examination, on account of non-registration," Machogu said, as he directed that all learners to report to their respective schools where they will sit the papers.

"All affected learners are advised to report to their respective schools/designated examination centres for purposes of sitting the examination on the scheduled dates."

In the past, several Standard Eight and Form Four candidates have been denied the chance to write examinations after school managers failed to register them for the tests.