KCSE examinations were disrupted at a school in Moyale after stray bullets from neighbouring Ethiopia reportedly hit the institution on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Deputy County Commissioner Benedict Munywoki said candidates at Sessi Mixed Secondary School and St Mary’s Mixed Secondary School were evacuated to safer locations after the incident.
The evacuation was ordered after the bullets hit Sessi Mixed Secondary School, raising security concerns as candidates continued with the national examinations.
CS Ogamba Addresses Over 1 Million Candidates as 2026 KCSE Exams Begin
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has addressed more than one million candidates as the main written papers of the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination begin across the country on Monday, November 2.
In a statement delivered after witnessing the opening of an examination container at the Borabu Deputy County Commissioner’s Office in Nyamira County, Ogamba said this year’s examination had registered a record 1,048,355 candidates.
“This year’s examination is historic. For the first time in the history of KCSE, more than one million candidates have been registered. The 2026 candidature stands at 1,048,355, compared with 995,860 in 2025 and 965,172 in 2024,” Ogamba said.
The candidature represents a 5.27 per cent increase from the 995,860 candidates who registered for the 2025 KCSE examination. In 2024, the examination had 965,172 registered candidates.
Candidates are scheduled to sit English Paper 1 in the morning, while those taking Chemistry will sit Paper 1 in the afternoon. The examination season began on October 19 with oral, practical and low-candidature papers.
The examination is being administered in more than 10,000 centres across the country and is scheduled to conclude on Friday, November 20, 2026.
Ogamba said the 2026 examination is the second-to-last KCSE under the 8-4-4 education system, with the final cohort expected to sit the examination in 2027 as Kenya transitions to Competency-Based Education.
“The 2026 examination has further significance because it is the second-last KCSE examination under the 8-4-4 system of education.”
Ogamba Addresses Rainfall and Examination Security
Ogamba noted that the examination was taking place during the October–December rainy season, when the Kenya Meteorological Department had forecast above-average rainfall in most parts of the country, with possible heavy rainfall and flooding in some areas.
He said the Ministry of Education was working with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the Ministry of Interior and other relevant agencies to address potential disruptions and safeguard candidates and examination personnel.
The CS also reiterated that candidates and examination personnel are prohibited from possessing or using mobile phones during examination sessions.
He warned that anyone found violating the regulations would face action under the law, adding that examination malpractice, including impersonation, collusion, and possession of unauthorised materials, remained a concern.
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