- KNEC has warned teachers against using AI to complete or assist learners with School-Based Assessment tasks.
- The Council has clarified that the warning is not a blanket AI ban but specifically targets its use in producing assessed learner work.
- Schools have been alerted to access SBA tools from September 28, 2026, with scores due for upload by October 23, 2026.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly finding its way into classrooms, but the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has drawn a critical line: teachers and other individuals must not use AI to complete or assist learners with School-Based Assessment tasks that are supposed to demonstrate the learners’ own competencies.
The warning comes at a crucial point in the 2026 assessment calendar, with schools preparing to access new SBA tools from September 28 and upload the resulting scores by October 23, 2026.
The directive puts renewed focus on the credibility of school-based assessment under Kenya’s Competency-Based Education system, where learners are expected to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do, rather than simply reproduce information.
According to the 2026 SBA guidelines contained in the notice, teachers are expected to facilitate and supervise the assessment process. They should not take over the learner’s task by using AI or other means to generate work that is subsequently presented as the learner’s own. The warning covers written and performance-based assessment activities across different grades and learner categories.
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Who Is Actually Producing the Evidence?
The emergence of generative AI has complicated an already demanding assessment environment. A teacher can now use an AI system to generate an essay, answer questions, solve mathematical problems, prepare explanations or produce other material within seconds. If such material is submitted as a learner’s assessed work, the resulting score may no longer accurately represent the learner’s demonstrated ability.
That is the concern at the heart of the KNEC warning. The issue is therefore not simply about technology; it is about who is actually producing the evidence on which a learner’s assessment score is based. Under the SBA approach, teacher involvement remains important, but that involvement is expected to support and supervise the learner rather than replace the learner.
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The wording of the notice also requires an important distinction. KNEC’s warning does not amount to a blanket ban on teachers using AI for every educational or administrative purpose. Instead, it specifically cautions against using AI to complete or assist learners with their SBA work. Teachers can therefore distinguish between legitimate professional use of technology and using AI to produce assessed work that should come from the learner, a distinction that will become increasingly important as schools adopt digital tools for lesson preparation, research, communication, administration and learning support.
Which Grades Are Affected
For Grade 4 and 5, the written assessments listed in the guidelines include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Social Studies, Religious Education and Creative Arts.
For Grade 7 and 8, the listed written assessments include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Social Studies, CRE/IRE/HRE, Integrated Science, Agriculture, Creative Arts and Sports, and Pre-Technical Studies.
The guidelines also cover learners at the SNE Foundation Level.
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Schools have been advised to prepare and plan adequately for the assessment exercise. With the SBA tools scheduled to become accessible on September 28, school leaders and teachers have a narrow window to ensure that assessment procedures are understood and followed consistently. The scores must then be uploaded by October 23, 2026.
The warning also places school leadership under greater pressure to ensure that assessment procedures are not compromised at the classroom level.
The arrival of AI presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Kenya’s education system. Used appropriately, technology can support teachers and learners.
Key Dates
- September 28, 2026-SBA tools become accessible.
- October 23, 2026-Deadline for uploading SBA scores.
By Hillary Muhalya
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