Meru County has listed more than 105,000 candidates for the 2026 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
According to a candidature schedule prepared under the Ministry of Education's State Department for Basic Education, Eastern Region, the county has reported 37,301 KPSEA candidates, 35,670 KJSEA candidates and 32,989 KCSE candidates.
The three reported totals amount to 105,960 candidates, although discrepancies between some of the schedule's figures require clarification.
The examinations and assessments are being administered as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) oversees a record national candidature of 3,634,846 learners in the 2026 examination season.
Tigania West and Maua among areas with highest candidature
Maua has the highest reported KPSEA candidature, with 4,161 candidates, followed by Mutuati with 3,426 and Tigania West with 3,239.
Other sub-counties with substantial KPSEA registrations include Tigania Central, Kiengu, Meru Central and Igembe Central.
For KJSEA, Tigania West leads with 3,529 candidates, followed by Maua with 3,346, Mutuati with 2,975 and Meru Central with 2,867.
Igembe Central has 2,829 KJSEA candidates, while Tigania Central has 2,823.
In KCSE, Tigania West has the highest reported candidature at 3,122, followed by Maua with 3,029 and Meru Central with 2,987.
Imenti East, Imenti South and Igoji also feature prominently in the county's secondary school examination registrations.
The differences in candidature highlight the varying scale of examination administration across the county, including the distribution of examination centres, supervisors, invigilators and examination materials.
Examination centres and special candidature
The county schedule lists 954 KPSEA centres, 827 KJSEA centres and 419 KCSE centres.
It also provides separate information on adult and private KCSE candidates, with a reported total of 269 candidates, comprising 132 males and 137 females.
A further 20 male candidates are listed under the prisons category, with 10 each in Imenti North and Igembe Central.
These categories highlight the need to make examination administration accessible to candidates outside conventional school settings.
The schedule also lists 17 examination containers across the county's education sub-counties, although the distribution and logistical arrangements require confirmation by the relevant education authorities.
The Meru figures come as KPSEA and KJSEA candidates undertake their rehearsals on Friday, October 23, ahead of assessments beginning on Monday, October 26.
According to KNEC's official timetable, KPSEA will run until Wednesday, October 28, while KJSEA will continue until Friday, October 30.
KCSE examinations began on October 19 with oral and practical components, while the main written examinations are scheduled to begin on October 28 and continue through November 20.
KNEC has introduced and reinforced measures aimed at protecting examination integrity, including tighter controls on examination materials and the deployment of authorised personnel.
The council has also cautioned candidates, parents and examination officials against involvement in examination malpractice.
With the examinations taking place across hundreds of centres in Meru, effective coordination between education officials, centre managers, supervisors and security agencies will be essential to the smooth administration of the exercise.
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