The Grade 6 and Grade 9 national assessments entered their second day on Tuesday after an opening day in which officials across the country reported no major incident. A force of 342,005 field officers and teachers has been deployed to run the papers.

A total of 2,586,491 learners are sitting the assessments. There are 1,380,463 Grade 6 candidates for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and 1,206,028 Grade 9 candidates for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), The Star reported. KPSEA ends on Wednesday and KJSEA on Friday, October 30.

Examiners ready, marking to start immediately

Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa opened an examination container at the Mbita sub-county headquarters in Homa Bay on Monday. He said the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) had recruited 50,873 examiners and that marking would start as soon as the papers end, The Standard reported. The Interior ministry is providing security and the Teachers Service Commission has deployed the teachers running the centres.

"We are prepared, and government officials have been deployed to monitor the exams in various parts of the country," Ololtuaa said, warning that anyone caught cheating would face punitive legal action.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, speaking at the Makindu distribution centre in Makueni, repeated that the government "will not tolerate any examination malpractice in any form or manner." He said officials found culpable would face criminal or administrative action.

No armed police at primary centres

Primary and junior school centres are being guarded differently this year. According to The Standard, armed police will not routinely be posted at KPSEA and KJSEA centres unless the situation calls for it, so that young learners are not made anxious. Police will still be stationed at Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) centres. Security agencies will guard the storage facilities and escort exam materials.

Other new measures include smart electronic padlocks on all storage containers, colour-coded materials and question papers personalised to keep candidates anonymous. Extra storage containers have been placed closer to centres, mostly in remote counties that have had distribution problems before. Distribution started on time despite heavy rain in parts of the Coast and Western regions.

Reports from the counties

In Kakamega, more than 123,000 learners began the assessments: 62,993 in KPSEA and 60,041 in KJSEA. Kakamega Central police commander Vincent Cherutich warned officials against reporting to work drunk. "Anyone found drunk while on duty will face appropriate legal action," he said.

In Busia, Deputy County Commissioner Julius Maiyo banned noise near schools. "We will not allow loud music or entertainment activities near examination centres," he said.

Taita Taveta reported no incidents. In Mombasa, Busy Bee School principal Dorothy Kaimuri complained that a foul smell from a nearby dumpsite had "really devastated us as an institution."

KNEC Chief Executive David Njengere oversaw the release of materials at the Thika West deputy county commissioner's office. On Tuesday, KPSEA candidates sat Integrated Science and Kiswahili. KJSEA candidates sat the two Kiswahili papers, with Kenyan Sign Language versions for deaf learners. Large-print and Braille papers are available for learners with special needs.

The KCSE oral and practical papers, which began on October 19, end on Friday. The written papers for the 1,048,355 KCSE candidates run from November 2 to November 20.

Photos: The Standard; The Star