KNEC Launches Nationwide Rehearsals for 2026 KPSEA, KJSEA and Other Exams

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) said on Friday, October 23, 2026 that rehearsals for the 2026 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and Kenya Primary Leaving Examination Assessment are under way across the country, urging candidates to prepare and uphold examination integrity.

Over 2.58 million Grade 6 and Grade 9 learners will take part in the rehearsals, with 1,380,463 registered for KPSEA and 1,206,028 for KJSEA, bringing the total number of candidates registered for the 2026 assessments to 2,586,491 and the overall national examination candidature to a record 3.63 million, including more than 1.04 million KCSE candidates.

KPSEA rehearsals will run from Monday, October 26 to Wednesday, October 28, while KJSEA rehearsals will continue until Friday, October 30; KCSE examinations have already begun with oral and practical components on October 19 and written papers scheduled to start on November 2.

Candidates are being briefed during rehearsals on assessment rules, verification of registration details, desk allocation and the use of Optical Mark Reader sheets, with new shading instructions and sample OMR sheets available on the Competency-Based Assessment portal for practice.

KNEC has contracted more than 340,000 professionals to oversee the examinations, assigning one supervisor for every 200 candidates and one invigilator for every 20, with supervisors drawn from teachers meeting experience criteria and barred from serving at centres where they worked in the previous three years.

The council’s statement also highlighted its commitment to examination integrity, using the hashtag #integrity, and reminded candidates to follow guidance from schools and examination officials.

KNEC, the statutory body responsible for developing, administering and processing national examinations, noted that the rehearsals provide an opportunity for centre administrators to confirm readiness and address procedural issues before the actual assessments commence.