KNEC Asked to Review Policy on Armed Police Presence During KCSE and KPSEA.
Narok County Woman Representative Rebecca Tonkei has opposed the deployment of armed police officers in national exam rooms saying it scares candidates and disrupts the exam environment.
Speaking during the commissioning of a Ksh14 million dormitory at Maasai Girls Secondary School in Narok South, Tonkei who is also a member of the National Committee on Education said the presence of armed security personnel in assessment rooms causes trauma and unnecessary fear to students.
She said invigilation should not be done in a way that intimidates candidates or teachers. Tonkei recalled her own school days where the presence of armed officers caused her distress while sitting exams.
Her remarks come at a time when there have been long standing concerns about the involvement of police officers in national assessments. Security officers are currently tasked with escorting Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) materials from storage facilities to schools and maintaining security in exam rooms throughout the process. The deployment is meant to prevent unauthorized access, leakage and malpractice in high stakes national exams.
But Tonkei said the practice must be reviewed. “Invigilation does not mean terrorising students and teachers. This happened last year and we are not going to allow candidates to be intimidated,” she said, adding that learners should be given a conducive environment for assessments.
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Calls for withdrawal of armed officers from exam rooms are not new. In 2024, then Principal Secretary for Education Belio Kipsang said the government was considering removing police officers from the exam process. At the time he said: “This is the most opportune time to change how we administer assessments. It is time to let children be children.”
But the proposal has not been implemented and officers are still being deployed in schools during exams. Tonkei has now reiterated the demand for policy review saying the continued presence of armed personnel is affecting the well being of candidates.
KNEC Asked to Review Policy on Armed Police Presence During KCSE and KPSEA.
