KNEC rolls out digital war on forged papers

KNEC introduces a digital certification system aimed at strengthening document security and improving public access to academic record verification.[ File, Standard]

As Kenya continues to grapple with academic fraud, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) is turning to digital transformation to seal long-standing loopholes.

 By combining QR-enabled certificates with blockchain-backed records, the council aims to ensure academic credentials are secure and instantly verifiable.

 KNEC Chief Executive Officer Dr David Njengere said the council is preparing to roll out a digital verification system designed to eliminate fake academic papers and safeguard the credibility of Kenya’s education system. “This innovation is part of our efforts to secure the integrity of certificates in Kenya. The system is efficient and will allow anyone with a smartphone to authenticate certificates issued by KNEC,” he said.

 A major challenge, however, lies in verifying certificates issued before the introduction of QR codes. Millions of Kenyans hold KCSE certificates from earlier years that remain vulnerable to manipulation.

 To address this gap, KNEC has digitised historical records and introduced an online verification platform for candidates who sat examinations before 2023. Users can log in, confirm their identity and generate official digital certificates.

 Dr Njengere noted that the system promotes equity by enabling nationwide access.

 “A business owner in Lodwar now has the same verification capability as an official in Nairobi. That is a major shift in access and equity,” he said.

 The verification platform is integrated with the government’s eCitizen portal, meaning requests are processed as secure paid transactions, what KNEC describes as a “payment firewall” to enhance accountability.

 Dubbed TrueCert, the new platform introduces mobile-based verification allowing employers, universities and government institutions to authenticate certificates instantly using encrypted QR codes. Blockchain technology ensures records remain secure and tamper-proof.

 KNEC Head of Management Information Systems Ahmed Mutanga said the scale of certificate forgery has reached alarming levels.

 “What we are talking about is a solution to something that has reached epidemic level. Our desire to have credible certificates has exposed us to reputation risk,” he said.

 “Previously, verification was manual. People missed opportunities because confirmation took too long,” Mutanga explained.

 Advances in printing technology further complicated the problem, making it easier to replicate traditional security features, such as watermarks and seals.

 ICT officer Francis Lekupe said the old system lacked independent verification tools.

 Under the new system, all certificates issued from 2024 will carry a unique AES-encrypted QR code embedded directly onto the document. When scanned using the TrueCert application, the code connects to KNEC’s central database and verifies the certificate in real time.

 A “green flag” confirms authenticity, while discrepancies trigger a “red flag” signalling possible forgery.

 “This is not just a QR code; it is a cryptographically secured digital token,” Lekupe explained.

 Verification time is expected to drop from up to two weeks to less than 30 seconds, marking a shift from a trust-based system to a verification-first model aimed at eliminating counterfeit certificates.