Knec releases timetable for 2025 KCSE
An invigilator collects English Paper One answer sheets from KCSE candidates at Nakuru High School on November 4, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Knec has urged teachers to ensure that the candidates are aware of penalties for examination irregularities or misconduct.
- Any misconduct or cause of disturbance in or near the examination room will be treated as an examination irregularity.
The Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) has released the timetable for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination whose candidate registration is ongoing.
The chief executive officer of Knec David Njeng’ere said the timetable had been released ‘early’ to allow for feedback from stakeholders.
“Schools are also able to start socialising the candidates. We will share the data of all the registered candidates at the end of the registration process,” said Dr Njeng’ere in an interview with Nation.Africa.
According to the timetable, rehearsals will commence on October 17 2025, before the candidates undertake the oral papers from October 21 2025. These will include: French, German, Kenyan Sign Language (Practical Signing Skills), music and Arabic.
Practical examinations will begin from October 27 2025 for home science, drawing and design, woodwork, metalwork, art and design, electricity, building construction, electricity and music and conclude on October 31 2025.
On November 3 2025, candidates will sit their theory papers and complete their tests on November 21, 2025. Knec has urged teachers to ensure that the candidates are aware of penalties for examination irregularities or misconduct.
“Avail yourself for searching outside the examination room and be seated at your desk or table 15 minutes before the time fixed for the examination in the various papers. The first session will start at 8am followed by the second session at 2pm as indicated on the timetable,” said Dr Njeng’ere.
A candidate who arrives late will be required to give a satisfactory reason to the supervisor. Only in exceptional circumstances will a paper be given to any candidate who is more than half an hour late.
“Do not leave a sheet of paper you have written on or your answers in such a position that another candidate can read them. You should not give or obtain unfair assistance, or attempt to do so, whether by copying or in any other way, and your work should not show proof of such unfair assistance,” reads the instructions by Knec.
Candidates will not allowed to have in their possession or in their proximity while in the examination room, any book, notes, papers or any other materials whatsoever except the correct question papers and any materials expressly authorised by the Knec.
Any misconduct or cause of disturbance in or near the examination room will be treated as an examination irregularity.
“Cell phones or any other electronic communication device are prohibited in examination centres. Any candidate found in possession of a cell phone or any other electronic communication device will have his or her results canceled,” said Dr Njeng’ere.
Knec has also issued guidelines to centre managers, supervisors, and invigilators.
“The centre managers should ensure that the supervisors and invigilators deployed to their centres have not served in the same centre for three consecutive years,” said Dr Njeng’ere.
A supervisor is deployed for every two hundred (200) candidates while for every examination room with a maximum of 20 candidates, must have an invigilator.
There should be at least two security officers in each examination centre but where candidates are more than 250 candidates, the centre can request an additional security officer.
Supervisors have been directed to verify that candidates sign their answer scripts and script control form before collecting them for packing. They must count the candidates’ scripts to ensure they tally with the present candidates.
Dr Njeng’ere warned that as per the Knec Act No. 29 of 2012, offences and penalties stated in Sections 27 to 40 for cases of examination irregularities will apply.
He said a candidate who commits an examination irregularity in any paper will have the results for the whole subject cancelled. Such a candidate will not be entitled to a result and will be awarded a result ‘Y’, overall.
According to the penalties, if there is evidence of widespread irregularities in any examination centre, the examination results for the whole centre will be cancelled.
Any person who gains access to examination material and knowingly reveals the contents, whether orally or in writing, to an unauthorised party, whether a candidate or not, will be in violation of Section 27 of the Act and the penalty will be imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.
“Or a fine not exceeding two million shillings or both,” said Dr Njengere.
If the individual is not registered to take a KNEC examination but, with intent to impersonate, presents or attempts to present himself to take the part of an enrolled candidate will be in violation of Section 31 of the Act, and shall be guilty of an offense and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding Sh2 million or both and shall be prohibited from taking an examination conducted by or on behalf of the Council for three years.
He warned candidates against committing any examination irregularity to avoid having their results canceled.