The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
The government has announced plans to use helicopters to deliver KCSE examination papers to schools in Elgeyo Marakwet County that have been cut off by floods and mudslides.
One candidate injured in the mudslides will take the exams at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), where 28 victims are currently admitted.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura said all preparations for the national exams were complete, with security and logistics fully in place.
“The exams are safely stored, and for areas rendered inaccessible by floods and mudslides, we will use choppers to transport both the papers and examination officials,” Mwaura said.
He added that the government is tracing all affected candidates to ensure none miss their exams.
“Our teams are on the ground to facilitate the exams even as we continue with rescue and relief efforts,” he added.
A helicopter has already been stationed at Eldoret Airstrip to support the operation. Over a dozen schools in the Kerio Valley region have been affected by the ongoing floods.
Mwaura made the remarks at the Eldoret Airstrip, where senior government officials are coordinating rescue missions in the area.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich said machinery has been deployed to open up blocked roads, with assistance from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and neighboring counties — including West Pokot, Uasin Gishu, and Nandi.
“We’re working closely with the national government to make sure the exams go on as planned,” Rotich said.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, who chairs the North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB), also pledged support from all counties in the region to ensure smooth exam delivery.
Security has been heightened across the flood-affected areas, with agencies on alert to safeguard both the exams and candidates nationwide.
The KCSE exams are set to begin this week and will continue for three weeks.
According to Dr. Phillip Cheptinga, who is overseeing medical care for mudslide victims at MTRH, most of the injured are in stable condition and receiving treatment — among them ten children from affected schools.
