Kenyans have only this year and 2027 to sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination before the country fully transitions to the competency-based education in senior secondary schools.
Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) chief executive officer David Njengere has urged all candidates wishing to sit their KCSE examination to register before the deadline.
The four-year secondary school period under the four-decade-old 8-4-4 curriculum will be phased out at the end of next year. The system began in 1985.
According to Knec, learners have only two opportunities left to complete KCSE before the full transition to the competency-based education in senior school. The last cohort under 8-4-4 is in Form Three.
The council has begun sensitising the public to take advantage of this remaining two-year window to obtain the crucial certificate before 2028.
“This is the second-last opportunity to sit KCSE exam. All eligible candidates including those wishing to resit one or two subjects should register within the timeframe set out in the circular to Sub-County Directors and Heads of Institutions,” Dr Njengere told the Daily Nation.
Under the CBE system, learners will study three years in senior school— Grades 10, 11 and 12—where they will be introduced to career pathways before joining universities or other tertiary institutions.
An invigilator distributes KCSE English Paper One question sheets to Nakuru Girls High School candidates on November 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
The first CBE cohort is in Grade 10 and will join higher learning institutions in 2029. Universities and tertiary institutions have begun preparing for the rollout by training lecturers.
This system differs from 8-4-4, which emphasises examinations after four years of secondary education.
Knec clarified that candidates may register either as full or partial repeaters, regardless of when they last sat the examination. A full repeater—registering for seven or more subjects—will receive a mean grade and a certificate, while a partial repeater registering for fewer than seven subjects will receive a results slip showing grades for the subjects taken.
Candidates, however, cannot introduce different subjects from the ones in their previous attempt. To register as a repeater, candidates must visit their nearest sub-county director of education office and register as private candidates. The exam fee for all repeaters is Sh7,200 paid directly to Knec via the eCitizen platform.
Registration for the 2026 KCSE exam closes on March 31, having opened last month. Knec has warned that there will be no extensions.
In a letter to all sub-county directors of education, Dr Njengere stated that heads of institutions with students attending school in regular settings are responsible for registration, which is strictly online. Institutions must log into the Knec portal using their examination centre credentials to capture candidates’ details.
“It is the responsibility of heads of institutions to ensure that all candidates presented for examination are eligible, school-going students. Registration of ghost candidates constitutes examination malpractice and attracts sanctions, including de-registration of the school as a Knec examination centre,” he said.
The council says registration data must be accurate and error-free, including correct spelling and order of candidates’ names as documented in KCPE certificates, gender, year of birth, citizenship, entry codes (first-time candidates or repeaters), birth certificate numbers and passport photographs.
