French and German oral examinations, Kenyan Sign Language practical signing skills and Music practicals are scheduled to run from October 19 to 23. Arabic oral examinations also begin today and continue through October 26.
French, German and Arabic oral papers are allocated 15 minutes per candidate, according to the official KNEC timetable.
The opening papers begin a month-long programme of oral, practical and written examinations. Home Science Foods and Nutrition practicals are scheduled for October 26 to 28, while written theory papers begin on November 2. The examination period is set to end on November 20.
Candidates are expected to follow the session times shown on the timetable. The first session starts at 8 a.m. and the second at 2 p.m. KNEC says candidates should follow the duration printed on the question paper if it differs from the timetable.
The examination rehearsal took place on Friday, October 16. Schools were also required to upload marks for subjects with project components by March 31 for Milestone 1 and July 31 for Milestone 2, where applicable.
KNEC’s examination guidelines prohibit mobile phones and other electronic communication devices in examination centres. Candidates may use calculators only in specified subjects and must use the approved non-programmable type.
Suspected examination malpractice should be reported through a principal, teacher or another available channel.
The council warns that a candidate found to have committed an irregularity in any paper may have the results for the entire subject cancelled and receive an overall “Y” result. If widespread irregularities are established at an examination centre, results for the whole centre may be cancelled.
KCSE is Kenya’s national secondary-school examination, administered by KNEC after the secondary education cycle.
The certificate is used for progression to further education and training, including degree, diploma, craft and certificate programmes. KNEC’s KCSE overview says the examination is open to candidates who meet the council’s requirements.
In 2025, 993,226 candidates sat the KCSE, up from 962,512 in 2024—an increase of 30,714 candidates, or 3.19%. Female candidates numbered 501,214, compared with 492,012 males.
As the examination gets underway, KNEC’s focus will be on ensuring papers are administered consistently across centres and that candidates follow the examination rules.
