Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has issued a stern warning to 2026 national examination candidates, teachers and examination officials against engaging in malpractice as the examination season approaches.
Speaking on Monday, October 5 during the launch of the 2026 National Examination Assessment Season at the New Mtihani House in South C, Nairobi, Ogamba said the Ministry of Education would take firm action against anyone found breaching examination rules.
The CS said the warning extends to candidates, centre managers, supervisors and invigilators, all of whom are required to strictly observe the regulations governing the national examinations.
“Let me affirm today that we will have no mercy on anyone who will be found engaging in any form of malpractice. All candidates, centre managers, supervisors and invigilators must comply with examination regulations,” Ogamba stated.
Ogamba further warned that those responsible for examination centres would also face legal consequences if they failed to comply with the prescribed rules.
The Ministry of Education said it was working with various stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of the examinations and ensure the assessment process is conducted efficiently and credibly.
As part of measures to prevent cheating and strengthen the security of examination materials, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will deploy smart padlocks to secure examination containers across the country.
The locks will be remotely monitored, allowing authorities to track access to the containers and enhance security throughout the examination period.
KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njegere said the technology had already been tested during last year's examination period in 250 schools.
He said the pilot had proved effective, paving the way for the smart padlocks to be rolled out to examination centres nationwide.
The tough warning comes about two weeks before the start of the 2026 national examination season, which will run from October 19 to November 20.
The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) will be administered between October 26 and October 29, while the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) is scheduled for October 26 to October 30.
Candidates sitting the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will take their examinations between October 26 and November 5.
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations will begin on October 19, with foreign language papers scheduled as the first examinations. Other KCSE subject papers will then commence officially on November 2 and continue through November 20.
The government has maintained that strict adherence to examination regulations will be critical in protecting the credibility of the 2026 assessment process, with candidates and examination officials facing consequences for violations.
