As the KCSE, KJSEA and KPSEA candidates approach their final examinations, parents and teachers have asked Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to clarify restrictions on holding prayers for candidates.
The stakeholders from Kisii County said they are in a dilemma over whether to organise prayer days for candidates after such gatherings were outlawed by former Education CS Dr Fred Matiang'i.
They said Dr Matiang'i had banned prayer meetings and other social gatherings in schools during the third term to curb exam cheating and allow candidates to concentrate on revision.
An independent survey by Education News revealed that most schools in the region conducted the prayers openly without any doubt, while others held them discreetly for fear of disciplinary action.
In Gucha Sub-County, this writer was politely asked to leave the hall and avoid covering a prayer session.
"You know the Ministry does not allow us to conduct prayers so please do not write our story," said the headteacher in the company of parents and a church pastor, highlighting the paradox surrounding the issue.
The incident exposed a glaring paradox where a headteacher, a church pastor and parents were jointly holding prayers for KPSEA candidates, seeking divine intervention for the young learners, yet at the same time living in fear of the Ministry.
Parents defend spiritual support for candidates
The headteacher acknowledged that candidates, especially the young KPSEA learners aged around 12–14, need spiritual nourishment to calm exam anxiety, but feared that publicity could attract punitive action from education officials.
Parents who attended the prayer session wondered why the Ministry would prohibit seeking God's blessings, arguing that prayers do not aid cheating but instead build confidence, discipline and moral uprightness.
"Our children need God's guidance as they enter the exam room. We are asking CS Ogamba to tell us if we are allowed to hold prayers or not, so that we don't violate ministry directives," said one parent in Marani Sub-County.
They appealed to CS Julius Ogamba and the Ministry of Education to issue a clear circular on whether prayer days can be held early in the term or outside school compounds, to avoid confusion and last-minute cancellations that disappoint candidates and parents.
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