The Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination begins tomorrow with rehearsals scheduled for today.
According to the Kenya National Examinations Council, 1,002,922 million registered for the KCPE exam, while another 615,284 registered for the KCSE exam.
KCPE candidates will sit mathematics, English and composition exams tomorrow. On Wednesday, they will be examined in science, Kiswahili lugha and insha. The exams end on Thursday with social studies and CRE.
KCSE exam candidates have been undertaking practical exams, which end on Thursday. The main exams are scheduled to run from November 6 to 30, with rehearsals set for November 3.
The exams come at a time when the country is going through a turbulent political period following the repeat presidential election. Some candidates have died during the ongoing skirmishes between the police and opposition NASA demonstrators.
The exams also come at a time when the 8-4-4 education system is set to be replaced by the 2-6-3-3-3.
The new system places emphasis on continuous assessment tests rather than one-off examinations.
The 8-4-4 system has been at the centre of criticism, with education experts saying it is expansive, heavily loaded with content and too examination-oriented.