The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has unveiled a set of new regulations that it will be enrolling during the administration of the 2025 national examinations, aimed at tightening security and enhancing accountability.
Speaking during the official launch of the 2025 National Examination and Assessments Season on Friday, KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere said the new measures were designed to safeguard the integrity of the exams and protect learners from malpractice.
Security Features
Among the key reforms is the introduction of personalised examination papers for all KCSE and KJSEA candidates.
According to KNEC, each paper will bear the candidate’s name and index number, and students will be required to sign both the paper and its counterfoil. Supervisors will then collect and submit the signed counterfoils separately for accountability.
In addition, Njengere announced the continued use of double collection of KCSE papers, where scripts for the second session are only released shortly before the scheduled exam, to prevent early exposure and leaks.
In a bid to further secure exam materials, the council revealed that 25 new storage containers had been installed across the country, bringing the total to 642.
250 containers will have smart padlocks, giving the government real-time oversight of storage sites as part of an initial pilot project.
"To further strengthen the security of examination materials, KNEC will pilot the use of digital smart padlocks in 250 containers this year. The officers assigned to manage these containers will undergo training on the use of these padlocks," Njengere said.
Security Arrangements
To give the candidates a secure environment, the government will deploy at least two officers at each KCSE examination centre. However, officers in primary exam centres will only be engaged in sensitive areas to assist with distribution.
To weed out malpractice, KNEC and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will only deploy vetted teachers with high integrity will be deployed as invigilators and supervisors.
"All field officers, centre managers, and supervisors will undergo mandatory sensitisation between October 6 and 9 to ensure full compliance with the new measures," Dr Njengere said.
A call command centre will be established by the council and will be working round the clock during the entire examination period to coordinate responses and address emerging issues.
Results Upload
The new guidelines will also extend to the School-Based Assessments (SBAs), where schools have been directed to upload results for Grades 4, 5, 7 and 8, which will count toward KPSEA and KJSEA scores, forming part of the learners’ final assessments.
Meanwhile, the 2025 national examinations and assessments are set to begin on Friday, October 17, and conclude on Friday, November 21, 2025. According to KNEC, a total of 996,078 candidates have registered for KCSE.
In addition, 1,298,089 candidates will sit the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), while 1,130,669 learners, the first cohort under the Competency-Based Education, will take part in the inaugural KJSEA. In total, 3,424,836 candidates are scheduled to sit for the national exams and assessments this year.
