KNEC announces 2026 exam dates as 3.6 million prepare to sit tests

Jukwaa

📻 Breaking It Down

KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere announced the figures on Monday during the launch of the 2026 National Examination and Assessment Season, saying extensive preparations had been put in place to ensure the exercise is conducted smoothly and with the required integrity.

“The Council will administer assessments and examination to a total of 3,634,846 candidates between 16th October and 20th November 2026. KNEC will engage a total of 342,005 contracted professionals to facilitate the conduct and management of the field administration process,” Njengere said.

The 2026 exercise will cover the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).

📌 What You Need to Know

The total candidature represents a 6.13 per cent increase from the 3,424,836 candidates registered for national examinations and assessments in 2025.

According to figures released during the launch, 1,380,463 learners have registered for KPSEA, while 1,206,028 will sit KJSEA. The KCSE candidature stands at 1,048,355, making 2026 the first year the number of KCSE candidates has crossed the one-million mark.

The KCSE examination season will begin with rehearsals on October 16, followed by papers with low candidature from October 19 to 30. Papers involving large numbers of candidates will then be administered from November 2 to 20.

The KPSEA and KJSEA assessments will run from October 26 to 30.

KNEC has announced tighter security measures for this year’s examination season, including the use of smart padlocks on all examination storage containers.

The technology was piloted in 250 containers last year and will now be rolled out across the country. The locks will be monitored from KNEC headquarters and will record access to the containers, helping the council detect unauthorised opening or tampering.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya

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