Nairobi – October 27, 2025

The government has warned school heads against denying pupils the chance to sit for national exams, insisting that all funds have been released to support learners.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok issued the warning on Monday during the launch of the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) exams in Kibra.

“The government has given all the money to cater for all candidates,” Bitok said. “Nobody should have any excuse for why learners are not being facilitated to sit their exams.”

He added that the Ministry of Education had sent full capitation to schools, including additional allocations for exam administration. “There’s no reason whatsoever for a school to claim they’ve not received funds—especially those that completed the data verification exercise,” he said.

For months, headteachers had raised concerns over delayed funding, warning it could disrupt exam preparations. But officials at Jogoo House maintained that verification was essential to prevent misuse of funds. The ministry later revealed that the audit uncovered more than 50,000 “ghost students” across secondary schools.

The national assessments began on Monday, with the KPSEA scheduled to run until October 30, and the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) — for learners with special needs — ending on October 31.

The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will continue until November 6. Meanwhile, the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams are already in their second week.

Bitok urged teachers and invigilators to uphold integrity during the exams. “We expect nothing short of professionalism in administering the 2025 KPSEA, KJSEA, and KCSE,” he said.

He also assured that systems are in place to ensure smooth student transition after the exams, marking what he described as “a critical phase in the Competency-Based Curriculum.”