Kenya’s national examinations season ended Friday, with Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba declaring the 2025 cycle “a turning point for integrity and efficiency” in the education sector.
At the Nyamira North DCC offices, Ogamba said the close of the exams — capped by the Physics Practical — signaled not just a finish line, but a renewed national mandate to restore credibility to a system long troubled by malpractice.
He announced accelerated marking, tougher penalties, and stronger surveillance measures as part of a sustained drive to deter fraud and speed up the release of results.
“The work does not end today. We are transitioning into a new phase defined by fairness, speed, and transparency in processing and releasing results,” he said.
The 2025 KCSE examinations, conducted from October 21 to November 21, engaged more than 110,000 centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, and officers from the Education and Interior ministries. Ogamba commended their discipline, noting many reported to exam containers by 7 am — with some arriving as early as 4 am — to guarantee seamless distribution of materials nationwide.
He also highlighted special provisions for hospitalized candidates, emphasizing that “every willing learner was allowed to sit their papers despite personal hardship.”
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But the season carried moments of sorrow.
“We tragically lost some candidates along the way. To the affected families, we extend our deepest condolences. Your loss is our loss,” he said.
While the process remained largely smooth, exam fraud persisted. A total of 418 malpractice cases were reported this year, an improvement from 614 in 2024. Ogamba vowed uncompromising action in line with the KNEC Act 2012 — including nullification of results, deregistration of centres, disqualification of candidates, and criminal prosecution. Impersonators, he warned, will face the stiffest sanctions, including a ban from sitting KCSE until 2027.
To safeguard the marking process, 32,558 examiners will begin work across 40 centres under strict integrity protocols, with examiners from compromised schools already disqualified.
“This year, transparency will not be an aspiration — it will be a non-negotiable,” he said.
Attention now shifts to the ongoing TVET November series, involving 15,266 Business candidates and 38,959 Technical candidates across 752 institutions. These exams run until December 5 and will be administered under the same vigilance standards.
Meanwhile, the marking of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) is underway, with results slated for release on December 11 to give parents adequate time to prepare for Senior School placements under the three pathways: Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, and STEM.
Ogamba urged the public to remain alert and report irregularities through KNEC’s confidential toll-free channels.
“Examination integrity is the bedrock of meritocracy. Together, we will uphold fairness, excellence, and trust in our education system.”
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to accelerating reforms aligned with national development priorities.
