The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has released detailed instructions to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Sub-County Directors ahead of the 2025 national examinations.
The directives are contained in official briefing notes prepared by Ms C. Makunda, and they emphasise vigilance, discipline, and accountability as the foundation for delivering fair and credible assessments nationwide.
According to the document, Sub-County Directors will play a central role in overseeing the conduct of the examinations. They have been tasked with identifying, vetting, and deploying qualified supervisors and invigilators to all centres before the start of the exams.
Only teachers who are employed and registered by the TSC, and who have active CP2 accounts, will be considered for deployment.
The briefing notes firmly state that “a supervisor is not just a figurehead; they are the guardian of credibility.”
The 2025 examinations will be spread across several levels.
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is scheduled to run from October 21 to November 21, 2025.
The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and the Kenya Primary Learners Assessment (KPLEA) will all take place between October 27 and October 30.
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In addition, the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) will be conducted from October 28 to October 30.
Sub-County Directors will be expected to coordinate and monitor personnel across these varied exams to ensure efficiency and consistency.
Deployment rules were laid out in detail in Ms. Makunda’s briefing. Each supervisor will be responsible for 200 candidates, with 20 candidates assigned to each invigilator.
For centres with both KJSEA and KPSEA candidates, one supervisor will manage both assessments if the total number of candidates falls between 30 and 200.
For special-needs learners, especially blind candidates, invigilators with braille-reading skills must be assigned. The notes emphasise that “every invigilator must understand that their role is more than ticking attendance—it’s safeguarding futures.”
The document also introduced a rotation policy designed to minimise malpractice and collusion. KCSE supervisors will rotate on a weekly basis and submit handover reports at the end of each cycle.
These reports must include the list of invigilators, absentee candidates, hardship cases, and any issues encountered. As the briefing explains, “rotation of supervisors is not a suggestion, it is a shield against collusion.”
Challenges that have affected exam integrity in the past were highlighted with concern. These include absenteeism of nominated officers from briefing and rehearsal sessions, over-recruitment of invigilators, and instances where teachers uninterested in the task were deployed.
Of even greater concern are cases of collusion between TSC officers and centre managers aimed at influencing allocations for personal or monetary gain. The notes warn that “when we lose control of supervision, we lose the trust of parents, learners, and the nation.”
KNEC also addressed payment concerns, which have previously been a source of conflict. According to the briefing, only personnel with authenticated online attendance registers will be eligible for payment.
Frequent issues, including name mismatches, unauthenticated registers, incorrect phone numbers, and forgotten passwords, will no longer be tolerated as excuses.
The directive underscores the centrality of the CP2 system in accountability, noting that “the CP2 system is our accountability compass; if it’s ignored, transparency disappears.”
It concludes with a powerful line that resonates with the stakes involved: “Behind every exam script is a child’s dream, and that dream deserves fairness.”
Through the instructions documented by Ms C. Makunda, Sub-County Directors have been reminded that the credibility of national examinations rests on their vigilance and leadership.
The message is clear: in 2025, no shortcuts, collusion, or laxity will be tolerated.
By Joseph Mambili
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