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Two KCPE candidates disappear after getting married on exam day


Two candidates in Magarini, Kilifi County failed to begin the KCPE examinations on Tuesday after they reportedly got married.

Magarini Deputy County Commissioner Simon Lokorio said locals claim that the two girls from Kaembeni Primary School got married in the nearby villages.

“The girls, who did not turn up for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations, could also not be traced in their homes,” he said.

One of their teachers, who sought anonymity for fear of victimisation by her bosses, said the two girls aged between 15 and 17 had developed a ‘negative attitude’ towards education.

EARLY MARRIAGES

“The two were rarely attending school and they were too rude to their teachers,” he told the Nation by phone adding, “They used to view school assignments and home work as a total waste of time.”

However, the DCC said they are still following up the matter to establish the exact place where the girls are currently located.

At the same time, Mr Lokorio revealed that early marriages and pregnancies among young girls are on the rise and warned those luring young girls into early marriages and pregnancies.

“I have directed chiefs and police officers to hunt down and take legal action against those men preying on young school girls for marriage and sex,” he added.

Kilifi County Commissioner Magu Mutindika and Governor Amason Kingi have banned ‘disco matanga’ in a move aimed at improving school attendance and eradicating teenage pregnancies. ‘Disco matanga’ refers to a night disco at funerals.

Kilifi Woman Rep Gertrude Mbeyu Mwanyaje who champions girl child education in the county has also launched an aggressive campaign against disco matanga.

Recently, Ms Mwanyanje appealed to the county commissioner to direct police to be arrest children attending the banned night event and swap them with their parents once they go to seek their release.