Baringo: Contingent of GSU officers surround school amid KCPE, KPSEA exams

As the national exercise kicked off on Monday, a contingent of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers surrounded the school compound, both inside and outside.

The officers, who were determined to leave nothing to chance, were using a drone to monitor the hills and bushes around the school, while other officers were combing the surrounding bushes.

A police APC vehicle ferried the exam papers to the school, and another APC was at the gate of the school. 

When the vehicle arrived, it was met with songs and dance from the candidates. 

The pupils sang a victory song showing the challenges they have been through, given that the school had been closed for more than three years since 2019 and only reopened in February 2023 following a presidential directive that all schools closed due to insecurity be reopened.

However, a bandit attack that happened on Tuesday last week left the pupils in panic. Bandits staged a daring attack on the school and the nearby GSU camp. 

The attack lasted for more than six hours, which necessitated today's intervention by the security team to deploy the KDF.

According to Baringo County Commissioner Sangolo Kutwa, who visited the school with other security team members, all exam centers have two policemen manning them, but schools in insecurity-prone areas have extra security to ensure that nothing is left to chance.

Kapindasum Primary School has 198 KCPE candidates. Baringo County has a total of 17,000 KCPE candidates.