Teacher dies while marking KCPE exams

The teacher died while receiving treatment at PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital.

An examiner marking the just concluded Kenya Certificate Examination (KCPE) has died, KNEC has said.

KNEC chairman John Onsati said the Tusunini Primary School teacher, Robert Kiua Muindi, was yesterday taken ill and died at a hospital while receiving treatment.

“The examiner suddenly fell ill at a marking centre in Nairobi and was rushed to PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital where he was pronounced dead,” Onsati said.

The examination council says it has notified both Muindi’s family and employer Teacher Service Commission of his death.

It added that it will offer support for the burial arrangement.

“The council wishes to send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, relatives and the entire teaching fraternity for the loss of a dedicated professional in the education sector,” KNEC said. 

Muindi death comes barely two days before the conclusion of the exercise of marking the KCPE scripts.

The results are likely to be released next week.

The Standard has established that examiners are working overtime to clear the remaining Kiswahili Insha and English Composition scripts.

Marking of the multiple choice papers, through the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR), started immediately the first paper was written with reports indicating that processing of results is complete.

Sources at the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) on Wednesday hinted that the remaining work may take another three or four days.

Although KNEC has not revealed what killed the teacher, cases of fatigue from the strenuous work in the examination centres have been documented. 

In 2017, a teacher who was part of the team that marked KCSE Chemistry at Loreto High School, Limuru, reportedly collapsed and died. The teacher was from Kiongwani Secondary School in Makueni County.

His colleagues attributed to work pressure they were being subjected to.