The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has embarked on a major security overhaul for the 2025 national tests, introducing smart digital padlocks and personalized exam papers to prevent leaks and ensure credibility in exam administration.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the innovation is being piloted in 250 examination storage containers across the country and will allow the council to monitor every opening and closing in real time through a link to KNEC’s command centre.
“These locks are linked to the KNEC command centre, allowing real-time tracking of the exact time each container is opened and locked,” he said.
A total of 3,424,836 candidates are registered to sit this year’s national assessments—996,978 for KCSE, 1,298,089 for KPSEA, 1,130,669 for KJSEA, 2,414 for KILEA, and 1,479 for KPLEA.
The Ministry of Education has also issued strict guidelines requiring Centre Managers, Supervisors, Invigilators, and Security Officers to surrender their mobile phones once they collect examination materials.
The phones will be stored securely during the entire exam period to curb communication that could compromise integrity.
Ogamba said security for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will continue to be handled by the National Police Service, while officials and school administrators will take charge of security for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
In a separate move to ensure transparency in marking, KNEC has introduced personalized examination papers carrying each candidate’s name and a random identification number. Learners will write their answers within the question paper, and the name section will later be detached before marking to promote fairness.
Exam collection procedures have also been reorganized for efficiency. KCSE scripts will be picked up twice a day—7:00 am and 12:30 pm—while KPSEA and KJSEA papers will be collected once daily at 6:00 am.
This year’s exams mark a historic moment as Grade Nine learners sit for the first-ever national assessment under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. KPSEA candidates in Grade Six will be tested in five subjects between October 27 and 29, while KJSEA learners will take 12 subjects over six days from October 27 to November 3, 2025.
To support the new system, KNEC has expanded its exam distribution network by adding 25 new containers, raising the total to 642 across sub-counties, up from 617 in 2024.
For KCSE, 10,765 Centre Managers, 12,126 Supervisors, 54,782 Invigilators, 22,247 Security Officers, and 2,692 drivers will be deployed. Meanwhile, 24,213 Centre Managers, 26,479 Supervisors, and 125,492 Invigilators will manage KPSEA and KJSEA exams, assisted by 2,568 Security Officers.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok described the rollout of KJSEA as a turning point in the country’s education reforms. Speaking in Kibra, Nairobi, where he supervised the opening of examination containers, Bitok said the government had released all the required funds and put in place the logistics necessary for smooth exam operations.
“For KJSEA, it is historic, the first time in our country’s history that learners are sitting for this exam, which will culminate in a smooth transition from junior school to senior school,” he said.
He noted that all schools that completed data verification had already received their allocations.
“The government has provided all the money for all candidates, and nobody should have any excuse whatsoever. All schools that completed the data verification process have received their funds,” he said.
Bitok assured learners that the transition to senior school will be seamless, with over 2.4 million available slots against 1.1 million learners. He said the placement process will be managed digitally to ensure openness and efficiency.
“Our learners are prepared, we have enough spaces in senior school, and I want to assure all our learners that they will get that space in senior school,” Bitok said.
He called on all those involved in administering the examinations to act with integrity, saying professionalism will be key to maintaining public confidence in the exam process.
