Funding gap, teachers’ boycott threat: Kenya’s national exams big test

As over 3.6 million candidates prepare to sit national examinations and assessments, the exercise has entered a critical phase, with pressure is mounting on the schools and teachers to deliver credible results against a background of funding shortfalls and a boycott threat by a union.

Candidates registered for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) were taken through rehearsals on October 15, marking the beginning of the final stretch. Oral and practical examinations are scheduled to start on Monday, October 19 2026, while the large candidature KCSE papers will run from November 2 to November 20 2026.