KNEC requires examination officials to ensure candidates sit the examinations and assessments in strict compliance with the prescribed rules and regulations. /AI ILLUSTRATION

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has outlined rules and guidelines that candidates must follow during this year's national examinations and assessments, warning of stern penalties for violations.

This year, KNEC is administering the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) to a record 3.6 million candidates.

KCSE oral and practical examinations began on October 19, while written papers are scheduled to run from November 2 to November 20, 2026.

The assessments will begin on Monday, October 26, and end on October 28 for KPSEA and October 30 for KJSEA.

KNEC requires examination centre managers, supervisors and invigilators to ensure candidates sit the examinations and assessments in strict compliance with the prescribed rules and regulations.

During rehearsals held on October 16 for KCSE and October 23 for KPSEA and KJSEA, candidates were briefed on the instructions, guidelines and penalties for breaking the rules.

Some rules apply to both candidates and examination officials, while others are specifically for candidates.

Reporting time and punctuality

Candidates must be seated in the examination room at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, after undergoing security checks.

Any candidate who arrives more than 30 minutes late will only be allowed to sit the paper after providing a satisfactory explanation to the supervisor.

Items allowed in the examination room

Every candidate must carry their official KNEC index or assessment card to the examination room.

KPSEA candidates are allowed to carry HB pencils for shading their answer sheets. Biro pens and fountain pens are prohibited.

KJSEA and KCSE candidates must carry blue or black ink ballpoint or fountain pens for writing their responses. Pencils are permitted only for drawing diagrams, graphs and specified mathematical work.

Items prohibited in the examination room

Mobile phones, smartwatches, written notes and all other electronic communication devices are prohibited.

Candidates are advised to leave their phones, smartwatches and notes at home.

The ban on mobile phones also applies to supervisors, invigilators and centre managers. Examination staff must switch off their phones or silence them and keep them locked away outside the examination room under the supervision of the supervisor or security personnel.

Police officers must also leave their phones outside active examination areas.

Programmable calculators and wristwatches are also prohibited. However, non-programmable calculators without covers are permitted in specified subjects, including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Studies.

Personal belongings such as handbags, briefcases, backpacks, books, notes, loose papers and other unauthorised materials are strictly forbidden inside or near the examination room.

Under the KNEC Act, accessing an examination room with unauthorised items constitutes examination malpractice and may result in the cancellation of results.

Restricted access to school compounds

KNEC restricts access to examination centres during the examination and assessment period to authorised personnel to curb malpractice.

Those permitted inside the centres include centre managers, deputy principals or headteachers, supervisors, invigilators, laboratory technicians and science teachers, who are only allowed in during practical examinations.

Authorised support staff preparing candidates' meals are also permitted, but must restrict their movements to the kitchen. Gatekeepers are also allowed on the premises.

Parents taking their children to school on examination days must drop them off at the gate.

School gates must remain open from 6am until the day's examination materials have left the centre.

Centre managers collect KPSEA and KJSEA examination materials from the containers once each morning, when they are opened at 6am, while KCSE materials are collected twice daily.

The examination papers are packed in colour-coded polybags and straps labelled with the date and session to distinguish KPSEA, KJSEA and KCSE materials.

Question papers are unwrapped five minutes before the scheduled start time, and only after officials have confirmed that they have the correct package.

Counterfoils must remain attached to scripts until the examination time has elapsed. Detaching a counterfoil before then constitutes an examination irregularity.

For KJSEA, candidates must sign a Script Control Form for every paper, while absent candidates are marked “AB” in red.

The sealed question paper for an absent candidate must be placed on their desk in full view of other candidates to demonstrate that it remains unopened.

Centre managers began recording attendance online through the CP2 system on the respective rehearsal days.