The Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations have ended today Thursday with quite number of candidates sitting exams from hospital beds.
This was a result of some candidates giving birth during the exam period.
As a result, the government has put on notice men impregnating teenagers, after more than ten gave birth during their national exams that kicked off on Tuesday.
While some of the candidates are reported to be taking the exams while pregnant, others gave birth in school or on their way.
One such case was reported in Kitui County on Thursday morning, when a girl aged 18 gave birth to a baby boy while walking to Makongo Primary School.
“We shall go beyond our teachers, we shall go in the villagers and ensure no one is left free,” said Belio Kipsang, the Education Principal Secretary, who was among hundreds of senior government officials—including Cabinet Secretaries—traversing the country to ensure the integrity of the examinations is safeguarded.
Education PS Dr. Richard Belio Kipsang is in Nyeri county as the last day of KCPE exams kicks off.
He is addressing the issue of candidates pregnancies saying that the children are underage which amounts to defilement and anyone involved will be arrested #DayBreak pic.twitter.com/afNUtPiOVr
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) November 1, 2018
“We will arrest even if it is parents and guardians who might be behind these pregnancies that are against the children’s act,” he warned, when he spoke to journalists in Nyamachaki Primary School in Nyeri.
Similar cases were reported in Nyeri, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nyanza region since Tuesday when the examinations started.
In all the cases, the candidates were allowed to proceed with their examinations either in class, or in hospitals where papers were delivered under tight security.
On Tuesday, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugine Wamalwa visited a candidate who was sitting for her exams from a hospital bed in Nyandarua after she had delivered the previous night.
Pleased to visit Naomi Nyambura a #KCPE2018 candidate from Muti-Umwe Pri Sch,undertaking her exams at Baari Health Centre ,Nyandarua North,after delivering a bouncing baby girl Teresia Wangui yesternight 7:45 pm #LeaveNoOneBehind @AMB_A_Mohammed @ExamsCouncil pic.twitter.com/6BNTemmJDW
— Eugene L. Wamalwa (@EugeneLWamalwa) October 30, 2018