A New Era of Exam Integrity

As the 2025 national examinations season commenced on Monday, 27th October 2025 (EAT), the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has rolled out its most technologically advanced strategy to date in a determined effort to eradicate the deep-seated issue of examination malpractice. With approximately 3.42 million learners sitting for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and the inaugural Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), the council has declared a full-scale war on cheating, a vice that experts warn is eroding the credibility of Kenya’s education system.

At the forefront of the new measures is the introduction of personalized question papers for all KCSE and KJSEA candidates. Each examination paper is now printed with the candidate's name, index number, and a space for a signature, a move KNEC CEO Dr. David Njeng’ere stated is designed to make impersonation nearly impossible. “This innovation promotes fairness, transparency, and integrity in the marking process. Every candidate will have a uniquely identifiable paper, and this will reduce the chances of cheating,” Dr. Njeng’ere announced at the official launch of the examination season at Mtihani House in South C, Nairobi, on Friday, 3rd October 2025 (EAT).

Further securing the examination supply chain, KNEC is piloting the use of digital smart padlocks on 250 examination storage containers nationwide. These locks allow for real-time monitoring from a central command centre, flagging any unauthorized access instantly. This is a direct response to past incidents where physical padlocks were tampered with, leading to premature exposure of exam papers.

The Pervasive Rot of Malpractice

The stringent measures are not without cause. Examination cheating in Kenya has evolved from simple notes to sophisticated, technology-driven syndicates involving teachers, parents, and security officials. In November 2024, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang directly blamed parents for funding these illicit activities by mobilizing resources to compromise exam officials. This followed a year where at least 70 teachers were arrested for their involvement in coordinated cheating schemes. The problem extends to higher education, with a 2024 report from the Commission for University Education (CUE) revealing that exam malpractices accounted for a staggering 87.27% of all 3,841 student disciplinary cases.

The root causes are multifaceted. A study published in the East African Journal of Education Studies in August 2025 identified a combination of personal factors like fear of failure, institutional weaknesses such as ineffective supervision, and systemic challenges, including the immense pressure of high-stakes testing, as key drivers. The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), in a September 2024 report, echoed this, calling for an end to the ranking of schools and candidates, which they argue fuels the pressure to manipulate results.

The Cost to Kenya: Devalued Diplomas and a Widening Learning Gap

The consequences of unchecked academic dishonesty are dire, extending far beyond the classroom. They threaten to devalue Kenyan qualifications on the global stage, disadvantaging honest graduates in a competitive job market. This erosion of trust in the education system has profound economic implications. A 2020 World Bank report highlighted a significant “learning gap” in Kenya, where children are estimated to receive nearly three years less of actual learning than their time in school would suggest, partly due to issues with education quality. An education system undermined by cheating exacerbates this crisis, producing graduates who may possess certificates but lack the underlying competencies, ultimately impacting national productivity and innovation.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has long argued that students are often not the primary instigators. In October 2023, KNUT's Deputy Secretary-General, Hesbon Otieno, asserted that organized cartels facilitate cheating and that adults are responsible for introducing students to these practices. Similarly, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), through Secretary-General Akelo Misori in November 2023, threatened legal action if teachers were made scapegoats for systemic failures, pointing out that exam materials often leaked hours before official distribution.

A Path Forward: Accountability and Systemic Reform

KNEC’s 2025 strategy aims to shift the burden of accountability directly to the individual. By serializing and personalizing exam papers, the council can trace any leaked material back to a specific candidate, ensuring that only those directly involved face consequences, rather than penalizing an entire school. This move has been cautiously welcomed, though stakeholders insist it must be part of a broader reform. KESSHA has proposed jamming mobile signals near exam centers and installing CCTV cameras to further deter malpractice.

As over 54,000 invigilators and 22,000 security officers are deployed across the country, the nation watches to see if this combination of technology and stringent protocol can finally turn the tide against a problem that has plagued its education system for decades. The success of these examinations is not just a test for the 3.4 million candidates, but a critical test of Kenya's commitment to restoring integrity to its national qualifications.