To all candidates, we wish you success. May your hard work pay off and may you approach every paper with confidence. Kenya is counting on you to do your best

A file photo of candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.

The written KCSE examination begins on Monday, and candidates have every reason to take it seriously. This is the penultimate KCSE before the test is retired after the final sitting in 2027. It is not an opportunity any of the 1,048,355 candidates can afford to waste.

The message to candidates is simple. Do not cheat. Examination malpractice is a gamble that is not worth the risk of having your results cancelled by the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec).

Schools must be equally responsible. Every registered candidate must sit every examination paper. School managers should not allow disputes over fees, poor planning or administrative failures to keep students away.

A candidate who misses an examination now may have few opportunities to obtain a KCSE qualification under the outgoing 8-4-4 system.

Next year's examination will, after 38 years, be the last KCSE. Those who miss the remaining opportunity may have to navigate a different assessment system known as Kenya Senior Secondary Education Assessment (KSSEA).

Knec must also ensure strict supervision and deal firmly and fairly with those who break the rules.

Quote of the Day: "Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time." —George Bernard Shaw's play 'Caesar & Cleopatra' premiered in New York City on October 31, 1906