Inside KNEC's e-Certificate plan
Education
By
Lewis Nyaundi
| Feb 14, 2026
With only two Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination cycles left, the government is tightening the noose on certificate forgery.
This emerged as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) announced the start of registration of this year’s KCSE and KPSEA examinations on Monday.
KNEC chief executive officer David Njengere said this on Friday after the release of the official 2026 registration timelines by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.
What is, however, worth noting is that KNEC is now rolling out electronic certificate verification that will lock out anyone who did not legitimately sit the exams from obtaining fake papers.
The changes were announced yesterday during the rollout of registration for this year’s national examinations.
“KNEC will be implementing a secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electronic certificate system applicable to certificates issued from 2023,” said Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.
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.
The service will be piloted by the end of the month.
KNEC will begin registration of this year’s KCSE and KPSEA examinations on Monday. Registration for KPSEA will run from February 16 to March 16, while KCSE registration will begin on the same date and end on March 31.
On the other hand, registration for KJSEA will start later on March 2 and also close on March 31.
At the same time, Knec has introduced a system to eliminate registration errors that have previously locked out candidates from national assessments, while warning school heads against negligence when capturing learners’ details.
Parents will be allowed to confirm registration details during the April school holidays.
“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,” Dr Njengere said.
CS Ogamba warned that inaccurate data can produce serious placement problems for learners.
He warned that institutions responsible for registration mistakes in 2026 will face consequences.
“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,” Ogamba said.
The reforms come as the first cohort of learners under the Competency-Based Education system transitions to senior school, with the government reporting a 99 percent 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 percent,” Ogamba said.
KNEC also announced that it will open a separate portal for Grade 10 learners in preparation for School-Based Assessments, which will form part of the final Kenya Certificate of Basic Education results at the end of senior school.
KNEC will also establish 235 Senior School Hubs across all 47 counties to strengthen coordination between KNEC and schools implementing the new assessment model.
Njengere further urged senior school teachers to enroll in ongoing training on the Competency-Based Assessment Framework available free on the KNEC website, saying proper preparation by educators is critical to the success of the new system.
“I want to encourage all senior school teachers to enroll for the ongoing training on the competence-based assessment framework that is available for free on our website,” he said.