Kenya National Examinations Council — administers national exams and has introduced digital certificate verification, preparing for record 3.5 million learners in 2026.
Alarm as 151,000 learners from first CBE cohort fail to complete junior school, KNEC data shows By Brenda Wanga May 04, 2026 10:00 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba during a p …
… ana County. [Mercy Kahenda, Standard] With mounting pressure to deliver an education system that is equitable and relevant to learners across the country, stakeholders will converge in Nairobi for a high-level national symposium convened by the Kenya National Examinations Council …
… Separately, another group of teachers who participated in marking last year’s national examinations said they were yet to be paid, calling on the government and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to settle the arrears. …
… Kalonzo said Prof. had impacted many public and private institutions, noting that “as a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, to the Vice-Chancellor's office at Egerton and later Moi University, to the Kenya National Examinations Council, Prof. …
… He served as Chairperson of the Kenya National Examinations Council for a decade, overseeing key reforms in the country’s assessment system, and later chaired the Kenya National Academy of Sciences, where he championed the integration of research into development policy. …
The Kenya National Examinations Council faces one of its most demanding seasons as 3.5 million learners are expected to sit national assessments and examinations between September and November 2026, driven by full implementation of Competency-Based Education alongside the final years of the 8-4-4 system. The massive exercise has pushed KNEC into uncharted waters as it grapples with rising operational costs, complex logistics, and persistent funding challenges.
Why it matters
KNEC's preparation for a record 3.5 million learners reflects the scale and complexity of Kenya's education system transformation during the CBC-8-4-4 transition.
The Kenya National Examinations Council faces one of its most demanding seasons as 3.5 million learners are expected to sit national assessments and examinations between September and November 2026, driven by full implementation of Competency-Based Education alongside the final years of the 8-4-4 system. The massive exercise has pushed KNEC into uncharted waters as it grapples with rising operational costs, complex logistics, and persistent funding challenges.
The Kenya National Examinations Council faces a critical Sh5 billion deficit as it prepares to administer national exams to a record 3.5 million learners this year, with concurrent assessment systems stretching its logistical and financial capacity.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki defended education reforms implemented since 2022, stating the government has recruited 100,000 teachers in four years and plans to add 20,000 more after the next budget cycle. He highlighted increased education financing rising from Sh500 billion in 2022 to Sh765 billion in the next fiscal year, as well as construction of 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories to strengthen Competency-Based Education and Training.
Kenya is transitioning to Competency-Based Education, and KUCCPS has unveiled a new university admissions system aligned to the CBE grading structure that will consider learner competencies and performance levels. Universities and colleges will be required to declare their exact admission capacities for each programme before placement begins.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that the Births and Deaths Registration Act and Registration of Persons Act, interpreted consistently with the Constitution, do not prohibit alteration of gender markers in official documents. The registrar has been ordered to receive applications within 60 days, with changes to be considered case-by-case on medical and legal grounds pending legislative intervention.
A Kenya Medical Training College accountant has been charged with altering his KCSE results from C- to C+ to secure admission to Kisii University in 2014, and subsequently using the fraudulent degree to gain promotions at KMTC. The EACC says he unlawfully earned Sh3,965,292.30 in salaries and benefits through employment obtained using forged academic qualifications.
Kenya's basic education budget for 2026/27 carries a Sh71.77 billion shortfall severe enough to leave more than six million learners without government capitation, according to figures presented by the Principal Secretary of Education to parliament on Wednesday. The shortfall means 3.7 million primary school learners will receive no capitation or be funded at half the required rate, while junior secondary and secondary education also face critical funding gaps.
Joshua Attuah Omia, an artisan at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, has been charged with fraudulent acquisition of public property, forgery, and uttering a false document after allegedly using a forged KCSE certificate to secure employment and unlawfully earn KSh5.9 million in salaries between August 2015 and December 2023.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested three people—two from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company and one from Kaimosi Friends University—for using forged academic certificates to secure employment. The two NCWSC suspects face charges of forgery and fraudulent acquisition of public property related to salaries of Sh5,909,037 and Sh9,485,177 respectively.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok has appealed to Parliament for an additional Sh71.77 billion to address a budget deficit threatening critical learning programmes including capitation for learners, textbooks, examination administration, school feeding, and Grade 9 classroom construction under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
The Kenya National Examinations Council is preparing to roll out electronic assessments in senior schools beginning next year, marking a major transformation of Kenya's examination system since the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Kenya will host a National Qualifications Conference in Nairobi on May 12–14, 2026, bringing together policymakers, regulators, employers, academics, and development partners to reimagine how qualifications are defined and linked to employment. The event, organised by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority, reflects on over a decade of the Kenya National Qualifications Framework and aims to make the qualifications system more responsive to labour market needs.
Kenya's Basic Education PS Julius Bitok revealed that a nationwide verification exercise uncovered about 87,000 non-existent students in secondary schools and nearly 800,000 ghost learners in primary schools. The audit, ordered by Parliament, aimed to verify the exact number of learners and institutions receiving government capitation funds, and has prompted disciplinary action against 30 school principals suspected of manipulating student data.
The Kenya National Examination Council has introduced a digital certification system to strengthen document security and improve public access to academic record verification.
A director at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital testified that 28 staff members used forged academic and professional certificates to gain employment, with one earning over Sh3.7 million in salary using fake credentials. One suspect, Enock Kipruto Rotich, presented a counterfeit KCSE certificate to secure employment as a security guard and was subsequently promoted based on false qualifications.
Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Director of Human Resource Management testified in court that 28 staff members used forged academic and professional certificates to gain employment, with some using fake credentials to obtain promotions over several years. One employee earned over Sh3.7 million in salary using forged academic papers.
Kenya National Examinations Council is rolling out TrueCert, a digital verification system using QR codes to authenticate certificates issued from 2024, aiming to curb fake academic papers and reduce verification time from weeks to under 30 minutes.
The Education Principal Secretary dismissed a KNEC report of over 150,000 CBE learner dropouts, but a Citizen TV investigation found that learners placed in schools during a February mop-up exercise were sent home shortly after reporting, contradicting government claims of 100 per cent transition and a promise that no child would be left behind.
Four months into senior school, Kenya's first cohort of Competency-Based Education learners is revealing hidden talents and aligning learning with personal interests, demonstrating the impact of the country's education reforms. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the transition marks a departure from exam-driven culture and is preparing learners for a world defined by technological and economic change.
Kenya is transitioning to Competency-Based Education, which emphasises critical thinking, creativity and practical skills over rote memorisation, according to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba. The approach places learners at the centre of education with focus on practical application of knowledge, as demonstrated at the 3rd Annual Educational Assessment Symposium hosted by KNEC.
KNEC data shows that of 1.282 million learners enrolled in Grade Four in 2019 under Kenya's new Competency-Based Education system, only 1.130 million sat the Grade Nine assessment, leaving about 151,630 unaccounted for and raising concerns about dropouts and retention gaps. The dropout disproportionately affected boys, with nearly 100,000 male learners and about 52,000 girls failing to complete junior school.
The Kenya National Examinations Council is hosting a five-day national symposium in Nairobi to address gaps in the country's competency-based education system and align learning with technology-driven demands. The forum will bring together policymakers, teachers, researchers, and experts to address bottlenecks in curriculum design, teaching methods, and assessment systems.
Junior secondary school intern teachers staged demonstrations demanding permanent and pensionable employment for 44,000 educators, citing a February court decision against internship arrangements. Teachers also issued fresh complaints over Social Health Authority cover, saying promised changes have not yet been implemented despite a recent agreement between the Ministry of Health and teachers' unions.
Kenya is mourning the death of Prof. Raphael Munavu, a prominent scholar whose influence shaped the country's education system and policy direction for decades. President William Ruto and other leaders paid tribute to his transformative contributions to education, including his role in advancing Competency-Based Education and his leadership across institutions including the University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Moi University, and the Kenya National Examinations Council.
Prof. Raphael Munavu, a renowned academic and former Vice-Chancellor of Moi University, has died on Sunday, April 26, while undergoing treatment at a Nairobi hospital. He was widely respected for his contributions to science, university leadership, and education reforms, and had a career spanning more than four decades.