KNEC: No learner will be allowed to repeat Grade 9

Kenya National Examinations Council(KNEC) CEO Dr.David Njengere addressing the media during the release of Kenya Junior Schools Education Assessment(KJSEA) at the KNEC Headquarters in Nairobi on December 11, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) Chief Executive Officer, David Njengere, has ruled out the option of repeating Grade 9 for dissatisfied candidates.

Speaking on Thursday, December 11, during the release of the inaugural Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results, Njengere said candidates can now specialise in preferred pathways, unlike in previous years.

“The question about repeating, the child has sat for KIPSEA in Grade Six, they have been assessed in Grade Seven, they were assessed in Grade Eight, then Grade Nine. So, I don’t know why they would want to repeat when clearly there has been a track of accumulating the ability of that child,” he said.

“In the competence-based system, the child is moving to specialise in an area they are strong at. They do not need an aggregated score; all they need is their strength,” he added.

Njengere further emphasised that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is designed to nurture every learner's potential, noting that senior school offers opportunities for students to specialise in their preferred areas.

“I don’t think it will be fair to keep a child in Grade Nine when they have already demonstrated abilities over a long period of time,” he said.

On his part, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced that KJSEA learners will have a five-day window to request revisions to their placement choices. He acknowledged that there may be hiccups since this is the first time the exercise is being conducted.

“Any parent or learner who might feel they wish to transfer, space is available for the next two weeks. All questions will be addressed,” he said.

He added that since this is the inaugural class, there is room for corrections: “This being the first time, we are alive to the fact that there could be hiccups.”

Education Principal Secretary Belio Bitok also emphasized that by next week, all students should know their placements. “We shall give candidates five days to make revisions to their choices,” he said.