Exams begin next week as scammers demand Sh60,000 for fake KCSE papers

Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba during the launch of 2026 National Examination and Assessment season. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

Learners in Grade 6 and Grade 9 will next week begin their final national assessments, with the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) scheduled to run from October 26 to 30.

The assessments will be followed by the second-last Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination under the 8-4-4 system, with written papers starting on November 2 and running through November 20.

Over 3.6 million learners are set to take part in the three tests with 1,380,463 registered for KPSEA, 1,206,028 for KJSEA and 1,048,355 for KCSE.

The assessments will be followed almost immediately by the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), whose written papers will begin on November 2 and run until November 20.

The examination season will, however, be markedly different from previous years, with the Government scaling down the deployment of police officers in institutions hosting the CBC assessments.

Under the new arrangement, police officers will not be stationed inside institutions administering KPSEA and KJSEA but will escort examination materials to and from the centres.

The change comes alongside new measures  including the use or smart padlocks that will provide time logs in and out of containers securing exam materials.

However, like in previous years, the KCSE examinations have also created fertile ground for fraudsters targeting anxious candidates and parents, with scammers increasingly using social media and messaging platforms to claim they have access to examination papers.

Some Telegram groups are advertising purported KCSE papers for sale, with one channel claiming to offer the entire examination for Sh60,000, while individual papers are allegedly being sold for Sh4,000.

The Kenya National Examinations Council timetable shows that the KCSE written examination will open on Monday, November 2, with English Functional Skills scheduled for the first session from 8am to 10am. Chemistry Paper One will be taken in the afternoon session, from 2pm to 4pm.

On Tuesday, November 3, candidates will sit Mathematics Alternative A or Alternative B from 8am to 10.30am, depending on their registration. English Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar will follow in the afternoon from 2pm to 4.30pm. The timetable provides additional time for candidates using Braille and other approved formats.

Wednesday, November 4, will see candidates sit Chemistry Paper Two and General Science in the morning, followed by English Creative Composition and Essays based on Set Texts in the afternoon. The English paper will run from 2pm to 4.30pm for most candidates.

Kiswahili will dominate Thursday, November 5, with Kiswahili Lugha scheduled for the morning and Kiswahili Insha in the afternoon. The following day, Friday, November 6, candidates will sit Chemistry Practical from 8am to 10.15am.

After the weekend break, Mathematics Paper Two will be taken on Monday, November 9, followed by Kiswahili Fasihi in the afternoon. Religious Education papers will then take centre stage on Tuesday, November 10, with Christian Religious Education, Islamic Religious Education and Hindu Religious Education scheduled in the morning, followed by Biology in the afternoon.

The examination will continue through the following week with Religious Education and History and Government papers on November 11, Biology and History and Government on November 12, and Biology Practical on November 13.

Geography and Physics will then be examined on November 16, followed by Business Studies and Agriculture on November 17, Geography and Physics on November 18, and Business Studies and Agriculture on November 19. The written examination programme will close on Friday, November 20, with Physics Practical.

The KNEC timetable requires first-session papers to begin at 8am and second-session papers at 2pm. Candidates are required to be seated 15 minutes before the scheduled examination time, while those who arrive more than 30 minutes late will only be allowed to sit the paper in exceptional circumstances.

This year’s KCSE is the 38th examination since the examination was first administered in 1989, making it part of the long-running transition from the 8-4-4 system to the Competency-Based Curriculum.

The 2026 examination has 1,048,355 candidates, up from 996,078 candidates in the previous cycle.

The security architecture for the examinations has also been tightened.

KNEC guidelines require at least two security officers at each KCSE examination centre, with centres hosting more than 250 candidates allowed to request an additional officer.

Like last year, KNEC will use personalised question papers, with candidates receiving papers bearing their names and random numbers, adding another layer of protection against impersonation and the circulation of examination materials.

Speaking in Nairobi last week, the Education CS warned  on examination malpractice noting that unauthorised access to examination material and disclosure of its contents is a serious offence.

Candidates are also prohibited from possessing mobile phones or other electronic communication devices in examination centres.

KNEC says possession of such a device can lead to cancellation of a candidate’s results.

The CS also urged candidates to report suspected examination malpractice through their principals, teachers or other available channels rather than attempting to engage with people offering purported leaked papers.