All eyes on KNEC as four million candidates set to sit exams in CBC era

Registration for national exams officially closed last month and attention now shifts to the rollout of new assessments, which will be administered under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

This marks a new era of competency-based learning, with the 2025 assessments shaping up to be a litmus test—not just for learners, but for the education system.

The big question now is if the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) is prepared to handle this task.

More than four million candidates are expected to sit various assessments across the four levels—KCSE, Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and its special needs counterpart, the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA)—posing logistical and educational challenges for the KNEC.

This year marks the first administration of KJSEA and KPLEA.

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The papers are drawing particular concern—for their complexity, novelty, and the sheer number of learners set to sit the test.

“We are walking into new territory. The KJSEA has 12 papers, some of which have never been taught or tested before in this format. Teachers and learners alike are struggling to keep up,” said Peter Otieno, a junior secondary school teacher in Nairobi.

Stakeholders like Mary Mukami, a parent with a Grade 9 student say students in public institutions will be more disadvantaged considering the infrastructure challenge.

“Most schools don’t have laboratories and workshops for technical subjects and Intergraded Science. Students will therefore be meeting the apparatus for the first time, how do you expect them to do well?” She posed.

The scale and depth of the papers have overwhelmed teachers like Rose Mwikali, a head teacher in Machakos.

“We are trying to prepare learners, but sample papers only became available recently. With this new format, even parents are confused about what success looks like,” Mwikali said.

The KJSEA will be conducted between October 27 and November 5, 2025, featuring a total of 12 papers—including subjects such as Pre-Technical Studies, Integrated Science, and Creative Arts and Sports.

The assessments will feature a mix of multiple choice, structured questions, essay writing, performance tasks, and practical evaluations.

For special needs learners (severe cerebral palsy, autism, deaf, blind and multiple disabilities) under the KPLEA, the assessments will be fully performance-based, covering a wide range of vocational and life skills. The inclusion is welcome, but implementation remains a hurdle.

“Many of our learners need tailored approaches and more time. Doing a full day of assessment in one go is too much for some of them,” said a teacher at a special needs institution in Kisumu.

They include assessment tasks, scoring guides for each assessment task, tool for assessing a Core Competency or a value, Scoring Guide for the core competency or the value assessed, Individual Learner’s Report Sheet, and School Summary Assessment Score Sheet.

The learners will have their Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 5: Integrated Learning Assessment (ILA), for one month in July, and unlike regular learners, they will do their papers for a whole day though the rehearsal will be done on the same day.

They will start with Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 1-Picture Making, Paper Craft, Pattern Making, Garment Making, Communication and Functional Literacy Skills on October 27, followed by Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 2-comprising of Woodwork, Sculpture, Jewelry and Ornament Making, Physical Education, Music and Movement.

Pre-Vocational Skills paper 3 comprising of Concrete work, Leather Craft, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, and Social Studies will be done on October 29 while Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 4-Home Care, Farming Skills, Weaving, Daily Living Skills and Nutrition, and Religious Education will rap on October 30. 

KNEC has replaced the 4-point rubric with a new 8-point Achievement Level system, ranging from AL 1 (1–10 marks) to AL8 (90–99 marks). This change has led to even more questions among educators and parents trying to interpret how learners will be ranked and transitioned to Senior School.

Under the CBC transition plan, 60 per cent of the Grade 9 score will come from the KJSEA, 20 per cent from the School-Based Assessments, and another 20 per cent from KPSEA. These new weightings are making some families anxious.

“It feels like the children are being used to test the system instead of the other way around. We have no past papers, no guidance, and yet these exams will shape our children’s futures,” said Janet Wambui, a parent in Nakuru.

Registration deadlines were staggered, with KCSE, KJSEA, and KPLEA  closing on March 28, while KPSEA and KILEA closed in February.

KNEC warned that there will be no late registration allowed beyond February 28, 2025, for any future KPSEA candidates.

KNEC CEO David Njengere emphasized that all schools and stakeholders must strictly adhere to the timelines.

“Please note that the KNEC registration portal shall close on February 28, 2025, and there will be no provision for late registration,” he said in January.

“All relevant process owners, including parents and candidates, must be informed.”

But with increasing enrollment numbers and a  rapidly evolving curriculum, schools say the current timelines are too tight.

“The pressure is immense. With so many new processes, we need more support from KNEC—not just deadlines,” said a private school administrator.