- Kenya is proposing major changes to national assessment through the establishment of a new assessment council.
- The KNEAC Bill seeks to expand emphasis on continuous, practical, project-based and digital forms of assessment.
- If enacted, the legislation would replace KNEC while introducing new responsibilities for learners, teachers and schools.
Kenya is moving towards a fundamental transformation of how learners are assessed, how national examinations are administered, and how academic achievement is measured, following the proposed establishment of the Kenya National Educational Assessments Council (KNEAC).
At the centre of the proposed reforms is the Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill, 2025, which seeks to replace the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) with a new institution whose mandate would extend beyond traditional examinations to a broader, more comprehensive system of educational assessment.
The official draft Bill published by the National Assessment Centre defines assessment broadly to include methods used to evaluate learning progress, academic readiness, skills acquisition, and the educational needs of learners. It also recognises both formative and summative assessment, meaning the proposed framework would capture learner progress during the learning process as well as achievement at the end of a learning cycle.
This distinction is significant, as Kenya’s education system is increasingly shifting away from an examination-centred model towards Competency-Based Education (CBE), where emphasis is placed not only on what a learner can recall, but also on what they can understand, apply, demonstrate, and create.
The proposed KNEAC framework therefore represents more than a change of name. It is an effort to redesign the country’s assessment architecture so that national evaluation systems align with the philosophy of the new education model.
Beyond traditional examinations
The Government developed the Bill to establish KNEAC as the institution responsible for overseeing formative, school-based, and summative assessments across basic education, teacher education, and post-school education.
The Kenya Yearbook describes the proposed institution as a central pillar of the country’s emerging assessment framework and links its establishment to best assessment practices and the principles of Competency-Based Education.
The proposal has already progressed beyond initial policy discussions. However, it is important to distinguish between a Bill and an Act of Parliament. KNEAC should therefore not be regarded as an operational replacement for KNEC until the legislative process is completed and the law formally comes into force.
If enacted, the legislation would assign KNEAC responsibility for setting and maintaining national assessment standards, conducting national assessments, awarding certificates and diplomas, inspecting and registering assessment and marking centres, and handling the equation of foreign qualifications.
For learners, perhaps the most significant change would be the expanded definition of assessment. Instead of relying predominantly on final written examinations, the proposed framework recognises a wider range of assessment approaches, including oral, aural, practical work, projects, practicum, and other appropriate methods.
This means a learner’s ability would increasingly be demonstrated through multiple forms of evidence rather than being determined by performance in a single high-stakes examination.
The proposed law also places greater responsibility on schools and institutions. Heads of institutions would be required to submit learners’ continuous assessment scores, coursework, projects, and teaching practice results where applicable, within timelines prescribed by the Council.
This provision could fundamentally reshape how schools approach assessment. Continuous assessment would no longer be viewed as routine classroom activity with limited external implications; instead, it would become a key component of nationally recognised learner records.
Parents would therefore need to understand that the new assessment environment may require consistent learner engagement throughout the academic year. Regular projects, practical activities, coursework, classroom performance, and other forms of evidence could carry greater weight in determining learner outcomes.
Teachers would equally assume an expanded role. Their responsibilities would extend beyond preparing learners for national examinations to include accurately documenting learner progress and ensuring that assessment evidence is properly recorded and submitted.
Technology and assessment integrity
The proposed law also envisions a more technologically driven assessment system. KNEAC would be empowered to register electronic assessment centres and establish operational requirements for them. The broader reform agenda includes digital assessment, electronic marking, and technology-assisted scoring.
The Bill provides for multiple marking and scoring methods, including traditional pen-and-paper marking, electronic marking, electronic capture of marks, automated marking, optical mark recognition, and AI-assisted marking.
This could significantly transform the national examination process.
Recent reporting on the proposed framework indicates that artificial intelligence may be used to support marking in certain categories of questions, particularly objective and structured assessments. The Government has also been advancing plans for expanded digital assessment in senior schools.
The potential benefits are substantial. Digital systems could accelerate marking, reduce administrative burdens, improve data management, and enable faster analysis of learner performance. Automated systems could also assist education planners in identifying learning gaps and making data-driven decisions.
However, the successful adoption of such technology will require significant investment. Schools will need reliable electricity, stable internet connectivity, appropriate devices, secure digital infrastructure, and adequately trained personnel.
The proposed KNEAC model therefore raises important questions of equity. A sophisticated digital assessment system may improve efficiency, but only if learners in rural, marginalised, and under-resourced areas are afforded the same opportunities as those in well-equipped institutions.
The Bill also introduces a strengthened legal framework on assessment integrity.
Academic malpractice, examination leakage, unauthorised possession of assessment materials, alteration of assessment records, impersonation, and unauthorised dissemination of assessment content would attract strict penalties under the proposed framework. Some offences carry potential custodial sentences and substantial financial fines.
The Government has presented these tougher measures as part of efforts to safeguard the credibility of Kenyan certificates and dismantle examination malpractice networks.
However, the stricter penalties also imply that school administrators and teachers will require clear guidelines, adequate training, and reliable administrative systems. Enforcement mechanisms should clearly distinguish between deliberate fraud and genuine administrative errors, technological failures, or circumstances beyond the control of educators.
The Bill also assigns responsibilities to candidates and their guardians during registration. They would be required to ensure that personal details such as names, dates of birth, centre information, gender, and subject or course combinations are accurately captured and verified before registration is finalised.
Although this may appear procedural, it carries significant implications. Errors in learner records can affect certification, academic progression, and future opportunities. As such, both parents and schools would need to treat registration and verification processes with greater diligence.
Another key provision relates to learners with special needs. The proposed framework requires appropriate consideration for the administration of assessments for special-needs candidates and learners in hardship situations. This presents an opportunity to strengthen inclusivity and ensure that disability or adverse circumstances do not unfairly limit a learner’s ability to demonstrate competence.
A new assessment era
At the institutional level, KNEAC would exercise significant authority over assessment and marking centres. These centres would be required to meet prescribed standards, while the Council would retain powers of registration, inspection, and regulation.
The proposed institution would also oversee the administration, marking, processing, and release of assessment results, as well as the issuance of certificates and diplomas. The Bill proposes that certification be issued through the new framework, with the broader objective of enhancing credibility, efficiency, and trust in national qualifications.
For Kenya, the significance of the KNEAC proposal extends beyond the replacement of one institution with another.
It reflects a deeper philosophical shift in education: from asking “How did the learner perform in the final examination?” to asking “What can the learner demonstrate, apply, and achieve throughout the learning journey?”
This is the direction in which Competency-Based Education is steering the system.
However, successful implementation will depend on more than legislation alone. Teachers will require continuous professional development. Schools will need adequate infrastructure. Parents will require sensitisation. Learners will need to adapt to a new assessment culture. Education officials will need robust data systems, while assessment technologies must be secure, accessible, and transparent.
The reform also calls for meaningful public participation. The Government has previously opened the draft Bill and accompanying KNEAC regulations for stakeholder input, including provisions on assessment management, marking and release of results, confirmation of results, handling of irregularities, equation of certificates, and e-assessment.
Ultimately, the success of KNEAC will not be measured by a change in institutional name, but by whether it delivers a fairer, more reliable, and more meaningful assessment system.
Kenya now has an opportunity to develop an assessment framework that recognises academic knowledge, practical competence, creativity, problem-solving, communication, project work, and other essential skills required beyond the classroom.
However, the transition must be carefully managed. The country must avoid replacing an examination-centred system with a technologically advanced model that inadvertently deepens existing inequalities.
The true test of KNEAC will therefore be whether every learner—whether in Nairobi, Kapenguria, Turkana, Mombasa, Kisumu, or a remote rural village—can be assessed fairly, accurately, and with dignity.
If Parliament eventually enacts the proposed legislation and the reforms are effectively implemented, Kenya’s assessment landscape could enter a new era in which examinations remain part of education, but no longer define the entirety of a learner’s ability.
The future of assessment is no longer solely about sitting an examination. It is about demonstrating what one knows, what one can do, and how one can apply knowledge in real-life contexts.
By Hillary Muhalya
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