All students to sit exams despite fee arrears, says CS

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has directed school principals to register all candidates for the 2026 national examinations regardless of their school fees status.

The CS said the Ministry of Education had received credible reports that some principals were refusing to register students with outstanding fees, contrary to government policy.

“We have received reports of some heads of institutions requiring payment of school fees before registering candidates. This is unlawful. Examination and assessment fees are paid for by the government. At the same time, registration for national examinations and assessments is a right of all eligible learners and is not subject to payment of any school fees,” Ogamba said during the opening of the inaugural Elgeyo Marakwet Elimu Conference.

The CS was accompanied by his Interior counterpart, Kipchumba Murkomen.

He warned school heads against the practice and urged parents to report such demands to Ministry officials or officers from the National Government Administration Office for action.

“Heads of institutions are required to exercise utmost diligence and ensure that all eligible candidates under their mandate are duly registered within the relevant timelines,” he said.

The directive comes as the Kenya National Examinations Council prepares for the country’s biggest examination cycle yet, which will see more than four million candidates sit the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.

Registration for KPSEA will run between February 16 and March 16, while KCSE registration will begin on the same date and close on March 31.

Registration for KJSEA began on March 2 and ends on March 31.

At the same time, the CS has asked parents to verify the registration details of their children once the exercise is completed.

Kenya National Examination Council(KNEC) chief executive David Njengere, in February, said parents will be allowed to confirm registration details during the April school holidays.

The verification will be available for parents of learners in Grade 6, Grade 9, Form 4 and Grade 10, who will be able to log into a KNEC portal to verify registration status, spelling and order of names, and gender details.

“We will provide a platform where parents can check whether the child has been registered, whether the names have been entered correctly, and whether the gender has been captured correctly,”  Njengere said.

Ogamba warned that inaccurate data could create serious placement challenges for learners and said institutions responsible for registration errors will face disciplinary action.

“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,” he said.

The reforms come as the first cohort of learners under the Competency-Based Education transitions to senior school, with the government reporting a 99 per cent transition rate.

“Following strategic measures by the government, including the directive that no learner shall be denied admission on account of uniform or school fees, our transition to Grade 10 is nearing 99 per cent,” Ogamba said.

This comes as KNEC also plans to roll out electronic certificate verification aimed at locking out individuals who attempt to obtain fake academic papers.

Ogamba said the new system will introduce secure electronic certificates for all candidates, beginning with certificates issued from 2023.

“KNEC will be implementing a secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable electronic certificate system applicable to certificates issued from 2023,” he said.

He said the digital platform will allow instant online verification of academic credentials issued by KNEC, making it difficult for fraudsters to present forged documents.

“We aim to enhance data security, reduce operational costs, improve accessibility and align with global digital transformation standards,” the CS said.

The pilot was conducted in February.