Exams kicks off under new anti-cheating measures

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogemba, officiated at the opening of national assessments and examination papers at the Bureti DCC office on October 27, 2025. [Nikko Tanui, Standard]. The national examinations season officially began on Monday under heightened security and new anti-cheating innovations, marking a major milestone in the country's ongoing education reforms. The assessments include the inaugural Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) for Grade 9 learners and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) for Grade 6 pupils, which are being administered alongside the ongoing KCSE and Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) exams. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government had introduced several new measures to enhance integrity, fairness, and efficiency in the examination process. "This year, the Ministry of Education and KNEC have introduced several innovations and security measures to strengthen integrity and efficiency," said Ogamba. The KJSEA, being administered to 1,130,669 candidates in 24,366 centres, differs from the KPSEA in both structure and format. While KPSEA is made up of multiple-choice questions, KJSEA combines multiple-choice and structured essay-type questions. "Candidates will shade answers as well as write responses directly in their question papers. Each structured paper is personalized, bearing the candidate's name, centre, and a unique random number," Ogamba explained. The rollout of the KJSEA marks a key step in Kenya's full implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, which emphasizes skills, understanding, and learner development over rote memorization. "Our focus is not just on assessment but on nurturing integrity and fairness in our education system. Every innovation we introduce aims to safeguard the credibility of Kenya's examinations and build trust in our education outcomes," the CS added. To ensure fairness and eliminate bias, the identification section on each paper will be detached and packed separately before marking, preventing examiners from seeing candidates' identities. The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has also strengthened security features on exam materials, introducing distinct colour codes and markings to prevent confusion between papers from different schools. For the first time, KNEC is piloting smart digital padlocks in 250 examination storage containers across the country. The digital locks are linked to KNEC's command centres, allowing real-time tracking of when each container is opened or locked. "This innovation allows us to monitor exam containers remotely and in real-time, closing loopholes for early exposure or tampering," Ogamba said. All personnel within examination centers, including centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, security officers, and support staff, are required to surrender their mobile phones upon receipt of exam materials. The devices will be secured until the end of each day's session to curb unauthorized communication. The National Police Service will continue to oversee the administration of the KCSE exams, while education officials and school heads will manage KPSEA, KJSEA, and KILEA under a school-based arrangement. In total, 1.13 million learners are sitting the KJSEA, 996,078 are taking KPSEA in 10,771 centres, 2,414 are sitting KILEA in 391 centres, and 1,479 are sitting KIPLEA in 175 centres nationwide.

Exams kicks off under new anti-cheating measures

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