KNEC confirms Grade 9 repetition no longer allowed, advises focus on learner strengths

Grade 9 learners who were hoping to repeat the year after receiving their 2025 results will have to adjust their plans, as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has confirmed that repeating the grade is no longer an option.

Instead, they will be guided to focus on specialised pathways that suit their interests and strengths.

Speaking on Thursday during the release of the results, KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere noted that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) framework has eliminated the need for grade repetition.

“The question about repeating. The child has sat for KPSEA in Grade 6. They have been assessed in Grade 7, they were assessed in Grade 8 and again in Grade 9. So, I don’t know why they would want to repeat when there has clearly been a process, a track and process of accumulating the ability of that child,” Njengere said.

He stressed that CBC is designed to nurture individual talents, allowing learners to specialise in areas where they show strength as they transition to senior school.

“Since the spirit of these reforms is to nurture every learner’s potential, everyone has an opportunity in senior school to specialise in the area they are good at,” he said.

The CEO noted that repeating Grade 9 would be unfair given learners’ continuous assessments.

“I don’t think it would be fair to keep the child again in Grade 9, and yet they have already demonstrated their abilities over a long period of time,” he said.

The 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) results were officially released on Thursday and are accessible online and via SMS.

Parents and learners can view results through the Ministry’s selection portal at https://selection.education.go.ke/my, selections or by sending the learner’s assessment number to 22263 at Sh30. The Ministry has urged parents/guardians to save or print the result slips for reference.

Njengere revealed that 1,130,587 candidates from 24,366 junior schools nationwide sat for the 2025 KJSEA, including 2,032 Grade 9 learners who took a qualifying test.

Unlike previous exercises, KNEC did not deploy police for the 2025 KJSEA. Instead, 185,689 trained officials, 11,239 examiners, and county assessment hubs managed the process.

“This year we focused on professional management and structured oversight rather than security deployment,” Njengere said, noting that the approach allowed examiners to focus on learners’ performance.

County assessment hubs, each covering five schools, monitored the process and resolved issues promptly. The 2025 cohort marks the first group to complete the CBC system, having previously sat for KPSEA in 2022.

“For the first time, the Kenyan education system will report learners’ achievement using a rich array of data from both formative and summative assessments,” Njengere added.

Other Topics To Read

• Headlines
• Education
• Grade 9
• Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)
• Grade 9 learners
• grade 9 transition
• CBC curriculum
• KNEC confirms Grade 9 repetition no longer allowed
• advises focus on learner strengths

Senior school placements will begin immediately, with reporting set for January 12, 2026, according to Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok.

Nairobi, Kakamega, and Nakuru counties recorded the highest candidate numbers, while Isiolo, Nairobi, Samburu and Pokot had more female candidates.

The 2025 KJSEA assessed nine subjects, including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Pre-Technical Studies, Social Studies, Agriculture, Religious Education, Physical Health Education and Sports.

Learners will progress to senior school pathways in STEM, Social Sciences, or Arts and Sports Science.