KPSEA, KJSEA Assessments Begin Smoothly in Kisumu as KICD Chief Urges Schools to Avoid Pressure on Learners

KISUMU, Kenya Oct 26 – The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) have begun smoothly in Kisumu County, with education officials reporting adequate preparations and urging schools to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on learners.

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) Chief Executive Officer Prof Charles Ongondo, who oversaw the opening of the assessment exercise at a distribution centre in Kisumu on Monday, commended the coordination among education officials and security teams.

Ongondo, who also serves on the board of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), urged stakeholders to treat the assessments as tools for measuring learning progress rather than high-stakes examinations.

“Please do not raise the stakes. These are assessments. They are not examinations,” he said.

He noted that school-based assessments account for 60 per cent of learners’ results in both KPSEA and KJSEA, meaning the national assessments should be conducted in a way that accurately reflects learners’ abilities without creating unnecessary anxiety.

Ongondo said the results would help identify learners’ strengths and areas requiring additional support as they transition to junior school and senior school.

He also cautioned against examination malpractice, stressing that the focus should remain on obtaining accurate results to guide learning and future educational interventions.

Kisumu County Director of Education Magara Onduso said the county was adequately prepared, with centre managers arriving early and examination materials distributed on schedule.

“I am proud to say that we are very, very well prepared,” Onduso said, expressing confidence in the readiness of learners and the teams overseeing the exercise.

The county has 773 KPSEA assessment centres serving 33,650 learners, while the KJSEA assessment is being conducted in 720 centres with 33,444 candidates.

Onduso said transport arrangements, centre managers and security personnel were in place to ensure the exercise proceeded without major disruptions.

“The centre managers have been here in good time, and we have distributed the exams in good time,” he said.

The KPSEA assessment is scheduled to run for three days, while the KJSEA exercise will take five days.

Security officers have been deployed to escort examination materials to designated centres as part of measures to safeguard the integrity of the assessments.

Kisumu Central Deputy County Commissioner Bosek Lang’at, who is overseeing security arrangements, said each bus transporting examination materials had been assigned two security officers.

“Every bus has got two security officers,” Lang’at said, adding that the officers would escort the materials to the final centre on each route.

Officials clarified that the security deployment was intended to protect the transportation of examination papers rather than provide security within schools.

The arrangements are aimed at preventing interference with examination materials and ensuring they reach the designated centres safely.

Education officials said the early start and coordinated distribution of examination materials had placed Kisumu County in a strong position as the national assessment exercise got underway.

They urged teachers, centre managers and other stakeholders to maintain coordination throughout the assessment period while ensuring learners remained calm and focused.

Ongondo reiterated that the assessments were intended to establish learners’ progress and inform decisions on educational support, rather than create unnecessary pressure on candidates.