Written KCSE Exam Begins Tomorrow.
Tomorrow marks the start of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) written examinations.
More than 830,000 Form Four students have started writing their theory papers.
Candidates will begin with English paper one and then move on to Chemistry paper one.
They will then take paper one of mathematics and paper two on English comprehension.
On February 28, practical and oral exams for French, German, Arabic, and Kenya sign languages began.
A total of 831,015 candidates registered for the exam, which will be administered at 10,413 different locations.
The enrolment for the 2021 exam increased by 9.39 per cent from the 752,981 candidates who wrote their papers at 10,437 locations in 2020.
Last year, 752,981 students took the exams at 10,437 stations. This year, the number has increased by 78,034 (a 9.39% increase).
The exam papers and other materials will be distributed through 483 distribution centres.
The candidates have been waiting for this moment to move on to the next step on the academic ladder, or, if they don’t perform well, to seek alternatives.
This is what will determine their future, which is why they are making serious preparations.
To get to this point, the candidates had to endure a lengthy closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
The candidates must be diligent and confident over the next two weeks.
George Magoha, Cabinet Secretary for Education, issued a warning to teachers and candidates to avoid cheating and other malpractices during the exams.
He has also challenged exam centre managers – headteachers and invigilators – to ensure that the papers begin on time.
Already one, Oscar Brighton, a third-year economics student at Zetech University, has been arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit KCPE and KCSE exam papers.
According to the DCI, the suspect was apprehended by undercover agents from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) while in possession of forged exam papers.
He was also accused of setting up several Whatsapp groups in which candidates were asked to deposit money in order to gain access to the papers.
“He had created several WhatsApp groups where candidates were asked to deposit between Sh1,600 for Humanities to Sh2,600 for Sciences.
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The suspect, a serial offender, is currently in custody and will be charged with violating Section 28 of the National Examination Malpractices Act on March 29, 2012 according to DCI reports.
“We will not have mercy on him …in Turkana, we also found someone with a cellphone that had ready answer sheets and he is also in custody as we speak,” he said in part.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) issued guidelines for administering the exams.
To prevent cheating and other malpractices, Dr Njengere stated that candidates would not be permitted to leave the exam room before the end of the time allotted for the paper unless special permission was granted by supervisors.
There will be no communication in the examination room, and no outsiders will be permitted to enter the centre during the tests.
In the past, cases of university students impersonating KCSE examination candidates have been documented.
Last year, 27 officials were relieved of their duties as centre managers, supervisors, or invigilators due to allegations of violating examination administration rules.
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37 civilians were arrested for assisting in illegalities, including three university students and two businessmen. Candidates’ cell phones were confiscated in 53 cases.
Those arrested were accused of opening exam materials ahead of schedule and sharing the information with students via social media.
Dr Njengere also cautioned candidates against using cell phones and other forms of electronic communication.
Those caught with them will have their results thrown out.
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Written KCSE Exam Begins Tomorrow
