KCSE enters third week as government steps up efforts to ensure smooth exams amid floods

The 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination has entered its third week, with the start of written papers for large-candidature subjects, as the government moves to ensure the tests proceed smoothly despite heavy rains and logistical challenges in parts of the country.

Candidates will start this phase with English Paper 1 (Functional Skills) in the morning and Chemistry Paper 1 in the afternoon, separated by a four-hour break.

More than 900,000 candidates are sitting the national test, which will conclude on November 21 with Physics Paper 3, a practical exam.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said all measures had been put in place to guarantee a smooth and credible examination process despite the ongoing short rains affecting several regions.

“It is true that we have challenges of floods in some parts of the country where we are administering exams. We have put measures in place to mitigate disruptions. The National Police Service, county commissioners, and regional education officers are working together to ensure exams reach all centres safely and on time,” Ogamba said.

The CS said helicopters and four-wheel-drive vehicles had been deployed in flood-prone counties to deliver examination materials, while disaster response teams were on standby to assist schools cut off by heavy rains.

“The integrity of our exams remains non-negotiable. We are using a multi-agency approach involving the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior, the Teachers Service Commission, and Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to safeguard every stage of the examination process,” he added.

KNEC has reminded all field officers to adhere strictly to examination procedures. Containers must be opened at 7:00 am, while mobile phones of all personnel within examination centres must be locked up, with the key kept by the supervisor.

All centre managers have also been reminded to carry an approved list of authorised persons within the centre, each identified by their national ID card.

According to the KNEC timetable, candidates will sit for Mathematics Paper 1 on November 4, followed by English Literature in the afternoon. On November 5, they will take Chemistry Paper 2 and English Composition, while Kiswahili Lugha and Kiswahili Fasihi will be done on November 6.

The second week will feature Christian Religious Education and Biology Papers 1 and 2, alongside History and Government on November 13, followed by Biology practicals. The final week will include papers in Geography, Physics, Business Studies, and Agriculture.

KNEC has directed all schools and candidates to follow the timetable and regulations strictly. Centre managers must ensure supervisors and invigilators have not served in the same institution for three consecutive years, in line with the council’s rotation policy to prevent familiarity and reduce malpractice.

“Supervisors must verify that candidates have signed their answer scripts and that the number of submitted papers matches the number of present candidates,” reads the guidelines.

KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere said the council was ready for a credible and secure examination process, noting that logistics and security systems were already in place.

“The administration of the Grade 6 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment and Grade 9 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment summative assessments has gone well, and we expect the KCSE to follow suit. Teachers have prepared candidates, so there is no cause for alarm,” Njengere said.

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He warned candidates and examination officials against engaging in cheating or irregularities, recalling last year’s 711 results that were cancelled due to malpractice.

“It was a painful decision, but it had to be done in the interest of fairness and credibility,” Njengere said.

“No one should be found with a phone in an examination or assessment centre. Violations will lead to automatic cancellation of results as provided under the KNEC Act No. 29 of 2012.”

Ogamba also assured that no KCSE candidate will miss exams following a landslide in Elgeyo Marakwet County that has claimed 26 lives and destroyed infrastructure.

“Our team is already on the ground assessing the situation. We are going to make alternative arrangements to ensure no candidate misses the national examinations,” he said.

The CS said a team from the ministry was making alternative arrangements in the affected areas, including airlifting candidates to sit their exams in alternative centres.