The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has unveiled a raft of measures to curb cheating and secure the integrity of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, whose main candidature papers begin on Monday morning.
Among the most radical measures is that no one at examination centres, including support staff within the compound, will be allowed to be in possession of a mobile phone or smart watch once candidates start sitting for an examination paper.
“Everyone must deposit their mobile phones with the supervisor, and these will be locked up in a secure place. The directive includes watchmen, cooks and even the principals’ secretaries – since they are allowed to be within the compound. It’s a very simple instruction. You can have your phone before the examination but once the materials are within the compound, everyone must surrender the devices,” Knec chief executive officer Dr told Nation on Sunday. “You’ll not have it (mobile phone) for only about two hours.”
Knec CEO David Njeng'ere at a past event.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
He said the council had identified mobile phones as the main avenue for cheating and appealed to all professionals charged with administration of examinations to enforce the set rules.
Dr Njengere warned that anyone found with a phone during an examination session would be treated as having committed malpractice under the Knec Act and examination regulations.
At least two police officers will be deployed at every KCSE examination centre, while a 24-hour toll-free call centre will facilitate reporting of incidents and rapid response.
Dr Njeng’ere assured the public that the government has done enough to prevent cheating and that no leakage of examination material will occur.
The council has also introduced colour-coded cartons for morning and afternoon examination papers. Morning papers will be packed in white-labelled cartons with blue straps, while afternoon papers will be in yellow-labelled cartons with black straps.
“We’re consolidating the gains made in the last three years because we didn’t want to shock the system. The rollout of the smart padlocks is the latest,” he said.
Candidates during 2026 KCSE rehearsal on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
The smart padlocks were piloted last year in 250 examination storage containers but have this year been applied to all locations across the country. The padlocks are monitored from Knec headquarters and sent in real time when they are opened, locked or interfered with.
“The system is watertight. You can check all the phony platforms; nothing is being shared. It 9teh exams) will not be leaked,” Dr Njeng’ere said.
He said that personalisation of examination papers will apply, whereby each candidate will have their details printed on their particular examination paper. The paper will have extra security features which the CEO could not disclose, only saying that if someone photographs it and sends the image, it is easy for Knec to know the exact paper and location.
After the examination, the perforated part of the personal details will be torn off so that examiners mark anonymised papers. This eliminates the possibility of bias while marking.
“Once we consolidate all these and we inject professionalism, you have a solid system,” Dr Njeng’ere said.
He appealed to parents of candidates who are day scholars to ensure their children do not carry mobile phones to examination centres. He said this is a challenge since day-scholars account for about 70 per cent of the candidature.
“If you don’t want your children to be in conflict with Knec, be the first to frisk them”
At the conclusion of the 2025 KCSE examination, 1,180 candidates were found to have been involved in examination irregularities, leading to the cancellation of their results.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba at New Mitihani House in Nairobi on October 5, 2026, during the launch of the 2026 national examination and assessment season.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the decision followed investigations into reported cases of malpractice during the examination period and was effected in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
The number represented a 40 per cent increase from the 840 candidates whose results were cancelled in the 2024 KCSE examination.
The cancellations followed a nationwide crackdown on examination malpractice that led to the arrest of dozens of suspects, including students and examination officials.
By November 13, 2025, the Ministry of Education had reported 71 arrests since the start of the examinations, following the apprehension of 26 additional suspects. Those arrested in the latest operation included nine students, 15 examination officials, a school cook and a civilian.
Two days later, Mr Ogamba announced that 78 people had been arrested for allegedly using social media platforms to expose examination content while the national tests were underway. The Ministry said security agencies were pursuing other suspects, while seven cases of impersonation, mainly involving adult candidates, had also been detected.
In one of the reported incidents, examination officials and invigilators were arrested after Chemistry Paper Two circulated on social media before the scheduled examination at Itembe D.O.K Secondary School in Nyamira County. Investigators confiscated 11 mobile phones in connection with the incident.
A total of 1,048,355 candidates have been registered for the KCSE examinations, the candidature rising by 52,277 from 996,078 last year.
The written KCSE papers follow the conclusion of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) last week, which together had 2,586,491 candidates.
A further 1,101 learners sat the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA), while 3,449 candidates were registered for the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA). These two are for learners with special needs who cannot be taught under the regular curriculum.
According to the timetable, the theory KCSE papers will run from November 2 to November 2026, with the morning sessions beginning at 8am and the afternoon sessions at 2pm.
Today (Monday), candidates will start with English Paper One (Functional Skills), which is scheduled for 8am to 10am, followed by Chemistry Paper One from 2pm to 4pm.
Mr Ogamba said KPSEA and KJSEA had concluded with minor administrative and operational challenges, including adverse weather, administrative discrepancies and cases where learners required special arrangements or medical attention.
Speaking in Sotik, Bomet County, Mr Ogamba said the transition to KCSE required continued vigilance from officials.
“As we move to KCSE written exams, I am calling for continued professionalism, high integrity and accountability, and strict adherence to established examination procedures,” he said.
Knec has deployed 104,553 personnel to oversee this year’s KCSE examination, comprising 10,765 centre managers, 12,274 supervisors, 57,432 invigilators, 21,388 security officers and 2,694 other personnel.
Mr Ogamba also sought to reassure parents of Grade 9 learners awaiting placement to senior school in January 2027, saying the process would be guided by established criteria and communicated timelines.
“For the Grade Nine learners, the conclusion of the assessment creates an opportunity to transition to senior school with their competencies informing their next stage of learning. I am appealing to parents to be patient and be assured that the transition process will be orderly, transparent and equitable,” he said.
He added that placement would follow established criteria, with the relevant timelines communicated to parents.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo warned parents and teachers against falling for fraudsters claiming they could obtain examination papers in advance, saying those involved would face the law.
The PS revealed that law enforcement officers are vigilant to apprehend those found cheating in the upcoming exams, and anybody found engaging in malpractice will be arrested and punished according to law.
Dr Omollo called for integrity among KCSE candidates, maintaining that the government has invested heavily in the education sector.
"Anyone who is deluded that they would want to take advantage, our law enforcement agencies are on your trail. We have invested so much as a government; the president has put a lot of money in the education sector. We cannot cheat or play games with the lives of our children," he said.
