The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has issued a notice urging parents and guardians to confirm the registration details of candidates sitting for the 2026 national examinations.
In an update on Friday, April 17, KNEC directed parents of learners registered for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to verify their children’s registration status via SMS.
To do so, parents are required to send the candidate’s assessment or index number to the shortcode 20076.
The council noter that this verification process is critical to ensure accuracy in candidates’ records ahead of the examinations.
According to KNEC, parents and guardians should carefully check several key details once they receive the registration information.
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These include the correct spelling and order of the candidate’s names, gender (male or female), and date of birth.
Additionally, they are expected to confirm the school where the candidate is registered, as well as the candidate’s citizenship status, indicated as either citizen (C) or non-citizen (N).
The council further highlighted the importance of verifying subject entries.
For KPSEA and KJSEA candidates, parents should confirm the correct selection between Kiswahili and Kenyan Sign Language (KSL), as well as the chosen Religious Education subject-Christian Religious Education (CRE), Islamic Religious Education (IRE), or Hindu Religious Education (HRE).
For KCSE candidates, the focus should be on ensuring that all optional subjects are accurately captured.
KNEC has set April 30 as the deadline for confirming all registration details.
"The deadline for confirmation is 30th April 2026. In case of any queries, please contact your Head of Institution," the notice read in part.
This comes weeks after KNEC issued a notice to candidates wishing to repeat the KCSE examination.
In a notice on Friday, March 6, KNEC informed Kenyans that individuals who previously sat the KCSE examination can register again either as full repeaters or partial repeaters.
According to the council, candidates registering as full repeaters must enroll for seven or more subjects.
Those who meet this threshold will receive a mean grade and an official KCSE certificate after completing the examination.
On the other hand, candidates choosing to register as partial repeaters will take fewer than seven subjects.
These candidates will not receive a full certificate but will instead be issued with a results slip indicating the grades obtained in the specific subjects they retook.
KNEC further clarified that repeat candidates are not allowed to introduce new subjects that they did not sit in their previous KCSE attempt.
This means repeaters must only register for subjects they had previously taken during their last examination sitting.
For those interested in repeating the examination, KNEC has directed candidates to visit the nearest Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE) office where they will be assisted to register as private candidates.
The council also announced that the examination registration fee for all repeaters is Ksh7,200.
Candidates are required to pay the fee directly to KNEC through the government’s online platform, eCitizen.
KNEC emphasized that the deadline for registration for the 2026 KCSE examination is March 31, 2026, warning that no extension will be granted after the closing date.
