The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has launched a new electronic certificate platform, allowing former national examination candidates to access and download digital copies of their certificates online.
The platform is available to candidates whose examination records are stored in the KNEC database between 1989 and 2025. Applicants can obtain their digital certificates after completing identity verification and paying the required fee.
Under the new system, users can create an account, verify their identity, pay Ksh1,200, and download a digitally verifiable certificate without having to visit KNEC offices or their former schools.
The initiative is expected to ease access for thousands of former students who have misplaced their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) or Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) certificates.
According to KNEC's user guide, applicants must first register on the e-Certificate portal using a valid email address before filling in their personal information.
Kenyan applicants are required to provide their National Identity details, which are automatically cross-checked through the Integrated Population Registration System (IPRS).
Once their identity has been confirmed, applicants must enter their examination index number, choose the examination type—either KCSE or KCPE—and indicate the year they sat the examination.
Candidates whose details are successfully validated are then required to pay a certificate generation fee of Ksh1,200, in addition to VAT and applicable eCitizen charges, using the available payment methods.
After payment is processed, the digital certificate is made available for download in Portable Document Format (PDF).
KNEC said every digital certificate is embedded with a blockchain verification hash, enabling institutions to verify its authenticity. Downloaded certificates will remain accessible for six months.
The council added that the platform also allows candidates to send official verification reports directly to employers, universities and other organisations.
In addition, KNEC has introduced a separate verification portal for institutions, including universities, employers, government agencies and professional bodies, to authenticate academic certificates submitted by applicants or employees.
For organisations processing large volumes of applications, the portal supports bulk verification of up to 1,000 certificates in a single request through the upload of a CSV file alongside the relevant certificate documents.
