Inside exam security operation to safeguard national assessments

Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo confirmed that the national assessment exercise had progressed smoothly across the country despite heavy short rains that have hindered transportation in several regions.

Speaking after overseeing the opening of an examination container at the Starehe Deputy County Commissioner’s office, Dr. Omollo said no major incidents had been reported since the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) began on Monday.

“Since these assessment exams began, we have not had any major incidents worth worrying about. This is because of the good coordination and collaboration that has happened between all the players,” said Dr. Omollo.

This comes as the KPSEA assessments entered their final stretch on Wednesday, with the PS crediting the success of the exercise to strong multi-agency coordination between the Ministries of Interior and Education, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and security agencies across the country.

According to Dr. Omollo, more than 600 secure containers have been distributed across the country to safely store and dispatch examination materials.

These containers are managed jointly by sub-county directors of education and local security and intelligence officers to ensure that exam materials are only accessed under tight supervision.

“Within the sub-counties, we have directors of education who are responsible and backed by the sub-county security intelligence. We expect the sessions for today will be conducted as they have been the past two days,” he said.

However, the PS admitted that the onset of short rains had created logistical challenges, especially in remote or flood-prone areas. Some exam trucks struggled to reach their destinations on time due to impassable roads.

“We have had isolated incidents. The short rains have just begun, and there are challenges of access to certain places where we've had delays in the distribution of examination papers. But again, the teams have worked around the clock to ensure the integrity of the assessment examination is not compromised,” he noted.

To counter these challenges, contingency plans have been put in place, including the possible airlifting of exam papers to hard-to-reach areas should the weather worsen.

“We have a backup arrangement where, in cases where roads are impassable, we can airlift the exams to ensure every learner sits their paper on time,” Dr. Omollo said.

He added that national and sub-county command centres have been activated to monitor the situation in real time and provide quick responses where needed.

“We have the national coordination team at the command centre at the ministry which allows us to access information where there are gaps in terms of security or logistics, and we intervene by working with officers in the affected areas,” he explained.

The Ministry of Interior is also working closely with the Ministry of ICT to track and address cases of attempted exam leaks or online fraud.

“We have a team from ICT monitoring the use of social media to prevent individuals from trying to share or sell fake papers. Where we find breaches, we will act appropriately,” he warned.

Dr. Omollo also assured parents and the public that the government remains vigilant to ensure that the integrity of national examinations is fully protected.

“I wish to assure the public that preparations are in place to ensure no one interferes with the integrity of the exams,” he stated.

He revealed that, in some cases, security and education officers had gone the extra mile to ensure candidates in hospitals or with special circumstances were not left out.

“We have had a few cases of students falling sick or being hospitalised but again, the teams have worked to ensure they are still able to do the examinations,” he said.

On Monday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba assured the country that the government has put in place unprecedented measures to secure this year’s national examinations and protect their integrity.

Ogamba said a range of innovations had been introduced to make the administration of the KPSEA, KJSEA, KILEA and KCSE more efficient, transparent, and tamper-proof.

“This year, the Ministry of Education and KNEC have introduced several innovations and security measures to strengthen integrity and efficiency in the conduct of national exams,” Ogamba said.

KNEC has also enhanced security markings and introduced colour codes to help distinguish question papers for different institutions, minimizing the risk of confusion or mix-ups.

In a first-of-its-kind move, the council is piloting smart digital padlocks in 250 exam storage containers across the country. The padlocks are linked to the KNEC command centre, enabling real-time tracking of when and where each container is opened or closed.

“The smart padlocks allow KNEC to monitor exam distribution with precision. We can now tell the exact time each container is accessed,” Ogamba explained.

To curb unauthorized communication during examinations, all staff within examination centres including centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, security officers, and support staff are required to surrender their mobile phones upon receipt of exam materials.

“The Teachers Service Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Interior have put in place comprehensive measures to ensure the credibility, security, and success of all examinations,” Ogamba said.