Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has disclosed that seven students were injured while five others were arrested following an insecurity incident in Moyale, Marsabit County, on Monday, November 2.
The disclosure provides further details about the learners affected by cross-border violence that disrupted learning and the ongoing national examinations in the border town.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Education hours after the incident, Ogamba revealed that the five arrested students were being held in correctional facilities, adding to earlier reports that focused on learners who had sustained injuries.
The seven injured students were hospitalised after stray bullets from ongoing clashes across the Ethiopia border reportedly reached nearby learning institutions.
The latest update accounts for all 12 students affected by the incident, whose individual circumstances had not initially been disclosed.
The Ministry has since put in place special arrangements to ensure that all the affected candidates sit their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations despite their circumstances.
“Special arrangements have been made to deliver and administer examinations to 7 hospitalized candidates and 5 candidates in correctional facilities,” Ogamba stated.
The incident disrupted activities at Sessi Mixed Secondary School and St Mary's Mixed Secondary School after stray bullets reportedly spilled over from fighting across the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
The clashes, linked to ongoing clan-related violence, have raised security concerns in Moyale, with the effects extending to schools and examination centres in the area.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has adjusted examination arrangements by relocating two examination centres following the security concerns reported in the border town.
Ogamba noted that the government was committed to ensuring the smooth administration of the national examinations, particularly as candidates approach a crucial stage involving compulsory subjects.
The CS also condemned the insecurity arising from clan clashes along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, calling for measures to safeguard learners and ensure that examinations proceed without further disruption.
He further urged members of the public to report suspected examination fraud and malpractice through the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) toll-free numbers 0800721410 and 0800724900.
