Narok Woman Representative Rebecca Tonkei has vowed to block the presence of armed police officers in examination rooms during this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), arguing that their presence intimidates students.
Speaking at Maasai Girls Secondary School in Narok South during the commissioning of a new Ksh14 million dormitory, Tonkei, who also serves on the National Committee on Education, said that armed officers in exam rooms create a hostile environment for candidates.
Reflecting on her own experience as a student, Tonkei recalled how the sight of police carrying guns during her examinations left her feeling unsettled and distracted. “I just want to warn the Kenya National Examination Council, invigilation does not mean terrorising students and teachers. This thing happened last year and we are not going to allow you to terrorise our candidates,” she stated.
She urged exam officials to prioritize a calm and supportive environment for learners. “When you are sent to a school like this to invigilate and supervise, I request that we give our students a humble time to sit for the exams,” she added.
Currently, security officers play a central role in national examinations, escorting test papers from storage containers to schools, monitoring access, and preventing cheating. After delivering the papers, they often remain inside exam rooms, armed, throughout the sessions.
While the Ministry of Education defends the deployment as necessary to curb exam malpractice and protect exam integrity, Tonkei insists the strategy instills unnecessary fear. She emphasized that students should not have to sit their papers under the psychological pressure of being watched over by armed police.
This is not the first time the policy has drawn criticism. In 2024, similar calls were made to end the practice. Then Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang suggested that the government was considering removing police officers from exam rooms, a move he argued would restore a more supportive assessment environment. However, the policy has yet to change.
“This is the most opportune time to change how we administer assessments,” Kipsang had said at the time. “It’s time to let our children be children.”
