The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations have entered their third week, a crucial phase featuring papers with large candidate numbers.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), which is responsible for setting, administering and processing national examinations, has issued fresh directives aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the ongoing national examinations.
“The 2026 KCSE examination enters week 3, in which we begin the administration of large candidature papers”, said KNEC CEO David Njengere.
Among the key directives to field officers, examination containers must be opened at exactly 7:00 a.m. All mobile phones must be switched off and secured in lockable lockers outside examination rooms.
KNEC has further directed that all authorised examination personnel must appear on approved weekly lists and present their original National Identity Cards for identification.
Candidates are also prohibited from wearing wristwatches of any kind. Instead, wall clocks must be provided in every examination room to enable candidates to monitor time during the papers.
In a post shared on its X account on Monday, November 2, 2026, KNEC wished candidates well as they prepared to sit the scheduled examination papers.
“Best wishes to all the candidates,” the council stated.
According to the examination timetable, candidates are scheduled to sit their morning papers from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., while the afternoon session will run from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The morning session will feature English (Functional Skills), with candidates using Braille and hearing-impaired examination formats allocated additional time until 10:30 a.m.
Candidates will then have a break from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. before returning for the afternoon session.
The afternoon examination will begin at 2:00 p.m., with candidates scheduled to sit Chemistry, a two-hour paper.
Education CS Julius Ogamba on Monday presided over the opening of the exam container and distribution of KCSE exam papers at Borabu Sub-County offices in Nyamira County.
A record 1,048,355 candidates are sitting the KCSE examination.
