Knec sets March deadline for 2026 exams registration amid data accuracy question

Registration for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will take place between March 2 and March 31 2026, while the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) registration will be conducted from February 16 to March 31 2026.

Speaking yesterday when he launched the registration exercise at the headquarters of the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec), Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said some cases have been reported where learners’ data was wrongly captured, including incorrect gender entries, while in some instances candidates were not registered at all.

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He stressed that the MoE will closely monitor the 2026 registration process to ensure accuracy and accountability, warning that institutions found culpable will face action through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

“In the past, including in the just concluded examination and assessment cycle, there have been cases of learners who have suffered because their heads of institutions uploaded erroneous data, by, for example, indicating the wrong gender. In some cases, some learners were not registered at all. These errors unduly and unfair disenfranchise learners, and also expose the Government to serious legal risks. We have to avert them at all costs,” said Mr Ogamba.

This comes in a day after the Cabinet Secretary revealed that the government lost Sh912 million in just one term due to the manipulation of student data on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).

The scandal involves inflation of enrolment data by corrupt school heads and ministry officials, who registered "ghost learners" to steal funds meant for education programmes. Mr Ogamba disclosed that an audit of the Third Term of 2025 revealed 87,730 non-existent students had been logged into the system, triggering payments that disappeared into private pockets.

“In fact, for the 2026 cycle, we will identify heads of institutions that will have registration-related errors for appropriate disciplinary action by the Teachers Service Commission,” said Mr Ogamba.

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The Chief Executive Officer of Knec Dr David Njeng’ere raised concern over late registrations, noting that the council received 5,743 requests for late registration from both public and private schools after the closure of the 2025 registration exercise.

“It is important for heads of institutions to appreciate that registration forms the basis of all planning for assessments and examinations for KNEC and the ministry, at large. Additionally, registration errors have far reaching implications on the young learners. For instance, when a school indicates the wrong gender for a learner and the error goes uncorrected from Grade 3, through KPSEA, to KJSEA, such a learner will be placed in a school of the opposite gender,” said Dr Njeng’ere.

He said in some instances, heads of institutions failed to declare unregistered candidates until pressure mounted from parents and the media, including cases involving KJSEA candidates that were recently highlighted on social media.

“We are hereby calling upon the associations to support the process by ensuring that all Heads of Institutions and parents/guardians presenting candidates for KPSEA; KJSEA; and KCSE examination are sensitised on the need to ensure accurate and timely registration of all their candidates,” said Dr Njeng’ere.

He said that for 2026, based on previous candidature trends and the anticipated upsurge of candidates enrolling for the KCSE examination, KNEC anticipates registering about 3,700,000 candidates.

Mr Ogamba announced that the transition of the inaugural CBE cohort to Grade 10 is almost complete, with nearly 99 percent of learners admitted following government directives ensuring no child is denied school due to uniform or fees.

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He revealed that KNEC will soon open registration for Grade 10 learners for School-Based Assessments, which will contribute to the final Kenya Certificate of Basic Education results.

“To ensure readiness and effective assessment in Senior School, we have established 235 Senior School Hubs in all the 47 counties. These are purposively sampled existing schools, five from each county, representative of public, private, rural, urban and special needs schools. The purpose of the hubs is to provide for closer interaction between KNEC and the Senior School learning community across the country,” said Mr Ogamba.

KNEC is also introducing an electronic certificate system for certificates issued from 2023, aimed at enhancing security, reducing costs, and improving accessibility.

“KNEC will be implementing a secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable electronic certificate (ecertificate) system which will be applicable to certificates issued from 2023. Our aim is to enhance data security, reduce operational costs, improve accessibility, and align with global digital transformation standards. The service will be piloted by end of this month,” said Mr Ogamba.

Further, the Cabinet Secretary said that delays in the payment of allowances to security personnel, examiners, and other education professionals arose due to budgetary constraints and local administrative challenges. He assured that settling these payments remains a priority, with the Ministry of Education working closely with the National Treasury to release the funds as soon as possible.

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