A new bill aims to reform the examination assessment system in basic education, teacher training, and post-secondary education.
The Kenya National Education Assessments Council (KNEAC) Bill 2025 proposes the integration of Artificial Intelligence into the examination marking process nationwide.
This bill will empower the Council to create guidelines and tools for evaluating both formative and summative assessments, which may include oral, aural, practical, project-based, practicum, or other assessment formats.
According to the bill, the Council may periodically employ various marking and scoring methods, such as traditional pen-and-paper marking, E-marking, electronic mark capture, automated marking (Automark), optical mark recognition (OMR), AI-based marking, and any other suitable methods.
Once assessments are scored, the bill states that the assessor, in collaboration with the headteacher, school principal, and college principal, will ensure that all registered candidates are accounted for and that their scores are uploaded to the designated platform.
The Council will also create and implement appropriate mechanisms for assessing and scoring candidates or learners based on a stage-based pathway.
Additionally, the Council will appoint at least one chief examiner or assessor-in-charge, along with an assistant chief examiner, a deputy, a team leader, and an examiner.
The bill proposes severe penalties for violations of the code of conduct regarding examination materials. It suggests a prison term of up to 10 years or a fine of up to Ksh.2 million for anyone who accesses exam materials before or during an assessment.
The same penalties apply to anyone who negligently or intentionally helps an assessment candidate gain unauthorized access to any assessment paper.
Furthermore, anyone who unlawfully alters the Council’s records related to an assessment or a candidate’s results could face imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to Ksh.1 million.
The bill also seeks to revoke the existing rules regarding the marking and release of results by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
