When Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) announced there would be no extra time for signing up for the KPSEA registration deadline, students and schools across the country scrambled to meet the cut‑off.
The council’s chief executive, David Njengere, confirmed the message in a press briefing on March 2, 2025, insisting the final date was March 29, 2025 – a day earlier than some newspaper reports had suggested.
Background: How the Exam Calendar is Set
Kenya runs three major national assessments each year: the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). 2025 marks a milestone because the KJSEA will be administered for the first time under the Competency‑Based Curriculum (CBC).
Historically, KNEC opens the registration window in January, giving schools roughly a month to upload data before the deadline in late February. For the 2025 cycle, the official schedule released on the council’s website listed January 27 to February 28 as the registration period for KPSEA and the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA).
Registration Timeline Confusion
Shortly after the official notice went live, several media outlets reported a broader window – January 30 to March 30 – citing internal memos that had leaked from the Ministry of Education. Parents, who rely heavily on the KNEC portal to enrol their children, were left bewildered.
On March 2, Njengere stepped in, saying, “We have a single, non‑negotiable deadline: March 29, 2025. No extensions will be granted, regardless of the source of the earlier information.” He added that the council had already allocated 24,213 centre managers to oversee both the KPSEA and KJSEA examinations, making any last‑minute changes logistically impossible.
Numbers and Logistics
- 1,298,089 learners successfully registered for KPSEA during the official period.
- 3,424,836 candidates are slated to sit for all national examinations combined in 2025.
- 54,782 invigilators and 12,126 supervisors have been recruited for the KCSE alone.
- 1,130,669 candidates will sit for the inaugural KJSEA.
- Examination administration will run from Friday, October 17 to Friday, November 21, 2025.
These figures illustrate the massive scale of Kenya’s assessment system. Deploying over 24,000 centre managers, plus thousands of invigilators, requires months of training, venue vetting, and supply chain coordination.
Reactions from Stakeholders
School heads in Nairobi voiced frustration, noting that some families still struggled to access the online portal due to bandwidth issues. “We sent reminders to parents up until March 28, but a handful of registrations still bounced,” said Prof. Miriam Ochieng, principal of St. Mary's Primary. She added that the council’s rigid stance could penalise those in remote areas.
On the other hand, the teachers’ union, Kenya Teachers Association (KTA), praised the firm deadline, arguing it safeguards the integrity of the exams. “When deadlines shift, it opens doors for malpractice,” said KTA secretary John Mwangi during a televised interview on March 3.
Implications and Next Steps
The decision to hold fast to March 29 carries several implications. First, it forces schools to accelerate their internal data‑entry processes, potentially leading to rushed verification of student records.
Second, it highlights the digital divide in Kenya’s education sector. While urban schools can upload information in minutes, many rural centres still rely on paper‑based submission, which must be digitised later – a step that could introduce errors.
Finally, the strict deadline underscores KNEC’s commitment to exam security. By locking the candidate list early, the council can better audit for duplicate entries and ensure that each test centre receives the correct number of answer sheets.
What Comes After the Exams?
After the October‑November testing window, KNEC will embark on a massive marking operation. For KPSEA, computer‑based grading will begin in December, while KCSE results are expected in March 2026. The council has also announced a post‑exam review panel to evaluate the effectiveness of the new CBC framework for KJSEA.
In the longer term, Njengere hinted at a possible rollout of a unified registration portal that would handle KPSEA, KJSEA, and KCSE in one go, aiming to cut down on confusion for future cohorts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did KNEC set the KPSEA deadline to March 29, 2025?
KNEC needed a firm cut‑off to finalise the list of 1.3 million candidates, allowing enough time to allocate centre managers, print exam papers, and run security checks before the October testing period.
How many students are taking the new KJSEA under the CBC?
The inaugural KJSEA will involve 1,130,669 learners, making it the largest rollout of the competency‑based system to date.
What should schools do if a student missed the March 29 deadline?
KNEC has stated there will be no extensions. Schools can appeal to the council only in rare cases of proven system error, but such appeals are rarely granted.
Will the strict deadline affect rural students?
Rural schools often face connectivity challenges, so the earlier deadline may force them to submit paperwork in person rather than online, potentially causing delays.
When will the KPSEA results be released?
KPSEA results are scheduled for early February 2026, after a thorough computer‑based marking process that begins in December 2025.
3 Comments
Terrell Mack October 7 2025
I've been watching the rollout for a while, and it's clear the council is under immense pressure to keep everything on schedule. The sheer number of centre managers and invigilators is staggering, and any slip‑up could cause chaos. Schools that have solid admin teams will sail through, but those still relying on paper forms might feel the crunch. Just keep the lines of communication open and double‑check your data entries early.
Mark Langdon October 7 2025
Totally hear you, Terrell. While the deadline is firm, it's still worth reaching out to the district liaison if you encounter hiccups – they can sometimes flag issues before they become bigger problems. Stay calm and keep pushing those entries; the sooner they're in, the better for everyone.
Ciara Russell-Baker October 7 2025
Honestly, it's ridiculous how many folks still act like this is a new surprise. The KNEC has been shouting about the March 29 cut‑off since January, so if you're only hearing it now you’ve been pretty out of the loop. People need to stop complaining and just get their paperwork done.