Knec issues fresh guidelines for KCSE 2025 candidates’ registration

The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has announced to candidates for the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examination that registration for the November exams is now open.

A circular issued on Tuesday to sub-county education directors and school principals indicated that registration started on February 17 and will continue until March 28, 2025.

KNEC stressed that the registration process will be conducted exclusively online, requiring schools to access the KNEC portal at www.knec-portal.ac.ke using their examination center login credentials.

In the announcement, KNEC provided several guidelines for schools to follow during the registration process.

Principals were informed that they are responsible for registering their candidates, and all registered candidates are eligible to take the exam. However, they were cautioned against registering fictitious students, as this would be deemed exam malpractice, which is a prosecutable offense.

The notice stated, “Registering ghost candidates constitutes examination malpractice, which may result in sanctions, including the de-registration of the school as a KNEC examination center.”

Candidates were advised to familiarize themselves with the regulations regarding subject entry requirements for grading as outlined in the KNEC Rules and Regulations (2015) and the User Guide for Management of KCSE Examination (2nd Edition 2024), both of which can be found on the KNEC website at www.knec.ac.ke/downloads.

Additionally, candidates were instructed to upload their correct passport-size photographs (300 x 300 pixels) since no changes would be permitted after the registration period closes.

They must ensure that their registration information is accurate, including gender, year of birth, citizenship, entry codes (1st, 2nd, or 3rd attempt), birth certificate number, and registered subjects.

Candidates with special needs were also encouraged to accurately indicate their categories, with ‘B’ for visually impaired candidates needing Braille and ‘LV’ for those requiring Large Print papers.