Editor's Review

The State Department for Basic Education has dismissed as fake a social media post claiming that the reopening of schools has been postponed.

The State Department for Basic Education has dismissed as fake a social media post claiming that the reopening of schools has been postponed.

In a statement on Wednesday, August 19, the State Department urged parents, guardians, learners, teachers and members of the public to disregard the circulating post.

"The post circulating on social media claiming that school opening has been postponed is fake. Parents, guardians, learners, teachers and the public are urged to ignore it," the statement read.

The State Department for Basic Education confirmed that Term Three will begin on August 24 as earlier communicated.

The clarification comes after a graphic circulating online claimed that the reopening of schools had been pushed to September 15, 2026.

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Elsewhere, this comes weeks after the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) opened an online platform allowing employers and other institutions to verify Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates issued between 1989 and 2024.

In a statement on July 31, KNEC said organisations and institutions can now authenticate candidates' KCSE certificates online through its e-Certificate Verification portal.

"Are you an organisation/institution and need to verify a candidate's KCSE certificate? Now you can do so online for KCSE certificates from 1989 to 2024," the council said.

File image of Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa

According to the council, organisations wishing to use the service must first register as verifier organisations by providing the required details, uploading a certificate of incorporation and verifying their email addresses through a one-time password (OTP). 

Applications will then be reviewed before access to the platform is granted.

Once approved, users can submit a verification request by entering a candidate's KCSE index number, examination year and full name as it appears on the certificate. 

They are also required to upload the candidate's e-certificate in PDF format and indicate the purpose of the verification, including employment, admission or immigration.

KNEC said the platform allows organisations to verify multiple candidates in a single request before making payment through either account wallet credits or the eCitizen platform using M-Pesa and other supported payment methods.

Previously, employers and other institutions often relied on inspecting original KCSE certificates presented by applicants when confirming academic qualifications

The new online verification platform provides an additional means of authenticating certificates directly through KNEC's records, helping institutions confirm the authenticity of academic credentials.

Upon completion of the verification process, users will receive a consolidated report covering all submitted candidates, individual verification reports, and a results list indicating whether each certificate has been verified or referred to KNEC for further review.