In a bold move to enforce administrative accountability, the Ministry of Education has announced that the 2026 national exam registration process will be closely monitored to identify incompetent school heads. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba stated that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will take disciplinary action against any head of institution who submits erroneous data or fails to register candidates within the stipulated March deadlines.
This policy shift highlights the government’s frustration with recurring clerical errors that have led to legal battles and student disenfranchisement.
“Registration is the foundation of all planning,” noted KNEC CEO Dr. David Njeng’ere. He revealed that in the past year, many school heads only declared unregistered candidates after facing intense pressure from the media and angry parents. Such “hidden” candidates disrupt the logistics of exam distribution and create unnecessary panic.
By setting the deadline for KCSE and KJSEA at March 31, 2026, KNEC aims to eliminate the “last-minute rush” that often leads to data entry mistakes.
Beyond registration, the Ministry is also addressing internal grievances, including the delayed payment of allowances to examiners and security personnel. CS Ogamba assured stakeholders that while budgetary constraints have caused delays, the government is working with the National Treasury to clear all outstanding debts.
As the 2026 exam cycle begins, the ministry’s message is one of “zero tolerance”—zero tolerance for data errors, zero tolerance for ghost learners, and zero tolerance for administrative negligence.
