By AGGREY MUTAMBO amutambo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, December 28 2011 at 20:05
Posted Wednesday, December 28 2011 at 20:05
Eleven exam officials died while on duty this year.
Officials attending the release of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination results had to observe a moment of silence in honour of those who died while administering or preparing for the tests.
“Despite these shortcomings, we strived to ensure the examination is done in a conducive environment,” Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) secretary Paul Wasanga said on Wednesday.
In July, pupils from Loreto Msongari in Nairobi were involved in an accident on the Meru-Nanyuki highway while returning to their hostel after a weekend trip. (READ: 17 Loreto pupils in hospital after road accident)
Three of the pupils died while 16 others had critical injuries.
Arm amputations
Six of the injured pupils underwent arm amputations. One girl had her two arms amputated while the other had her eye removed.
In spite of this, they were part of a group that sat the 2011 KCPE exams. (READ: Despite injuries, girls still dream)
In an earlier interview with the Nation, Knec said that the six amputees would sit the tests under “special care” from the supervisors.
“This was a very unfortunate challenge but I am happy to note that these candidates who lost their limbs in the road accident were given special consideration,” Education Minister Sam Ongeri said on Wednesday.
In October, six Kenyans were killed in Mandera’s Lafey area after gunmen from Somalia mounted a mortar attack.
The six, two of them education officials, were ambushed as they travelled to Mandera town to pick examination papers.
About the same time, a plane returning from Lodwar and Marsabit crashed, killing a passenger and the pilot.
The plane had ferried examination materials and was returning for more when it developed mechanical problems, according to the police.
In November, another exam supervisor was killed in a road accident in Laikipia West District near Rumuruti town.
The officer, who was also a teacher at Kangumo Day Secondary School, was travelling with five other colleagues before their vehicle rolled into a ditch.
Early this month, another five teachers who had been marking examinations in Machakos died in a road accident on their way home.
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