Race Against Time: Schools Have Three Days to Upload Term Three SBA Scores as Teachers Report OTP Login Hitches
Primary schools close tomorrow and secondary schools have already broken for the holiday, while ICT teachers say repeated logouts and fresh OTP requests on the KNEC portal are slowing the upload
Schools across the country are in a race against time to complete the 2026 School Based Assessment (SBA) before the term ends.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) requires all learners’ scores to be uploaded to its Competency Based Assessment (CBA) portal by Friday, 23rd October 2026, leaving headteachers just three days.
The pressure is mounting. A number of secondary schools have already closed for the long holiday, and the majority of primary schools will close tomorrow, Wednesday 21st October 2026.
Teachers must finish administering the tests, marking them, scoring them and uploading the results within a very narrow window.
Some ICT teachers have also raised complaints about the portal’s One-Time Password (OTP) login system, which they say is costing them valuable time.
A deadline that coincides with closing day
The 23rd October deadline is also the official closing date for all schools under the Ministry of Education’s 2026 term dates.
It is also the day when candidates for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will hold their rehearsals. The national assessments for both groups begin on Monday.
Headteachers and their teams will therefore be handling the SBA upload while also preparing candidates and centres for the national assessments.
ICT teachers raise concerns over OTP logins
As the deadline nears, ICT teachers have complained about the OTP requirement for logging in to the CBA portal. They say they must obtain the OTP from their school heads before they can log in and upload scores.
KNEC had earlier urged school heads to register subject teachers and issue them with passwords, so that individual teachers can upload the scores for their own subjects.
The aim was to spread the workload and avoid a bottleneck at the headteacher’s desk.
According to the teachers, however, the system repeatedly logs them out in the middle of their work.
Each time this happens, they must request a new OTP from the school head before they can log in again and continue.
In schools where heads are busy with closing-day duties and preparations for the national assessments, this can cause significant delays.
ICT teachers have been advised to tick the “Remember Me” checkbox when logging in. This is meant to let them work without needing a fresh OTP each time they sign in.
Headteachers should also ensure that subject teachers have been registered and issued with their credentials, and that they can be reached quickly when an OTP is needed.
The circular behind the deadline
The timelines are set out in a circular reference KNEC/GEN/TD/SE/SBA/GUI/2026/03, dated 14th August 2026 and signed by KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere.
It is titled “Guidelines and Schedule for the Year 2026 School Based Assessment – Written Tests and Performance Tasks.”
According to the circular, the tools have been available on the CBA portal since 28th September 2026.
The council directed that all scores be uploaded by 23rd October 2026, and many schools are now approaching that date with the work unfinished.
Written tests close the yearly SBA cycle
Under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), learners undergo SBA every year. Projects and practical tasks are done in the second term, while written tests are administered in the third term.
The tests now being scored are therefore the final part of the 2026 cycle.
The assessment targets Grades 3, 4 and 5 in primary school and Grades 7 and 8 in junior school. Grade 6 learners are exempted so they can prepare for KPSEA, the final assessment in primary school.
Grade 9 learners are similarly spared to prepare for KJSEA, which marks the end of junior school.
What learners are sitting
The circular provides for the following on the CBA portal:
- The Kenya Early Years Assessment (KEYA) for Grade 3
- Kenya Foundation Level Education Assessment (KFLEA) tools for the Stage Based Curriculum
- School Based Assessment tools for Grades 4, 5, 7 and 8
Grade 3 learners sit written tests in Mathematics and English Activities. Learners with special needs at the foundation level undertake performance tasks in Activities of Daily Living, and in Communication, Social and Pre-Literacy Skills.
Grades 4 and 5 are assessed in Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Social Studies, Religious Education (CRE, IRE or HRE) and Creative Arts.
Grades 7 and 8 are assessed in Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Social Studies, Religious Education (CRE, IRE or HRE), Integrated Science, Agriculture, Creative Arts and Sports, and Pre-Technical Studies.
Upload procedure: avoid last-minute errors
Headteachers must log in to the CBA portal at https://cba.knec.ac.ke. Those who have forgotten their passwords should use the “forgot password” function to reset them.
With only days left, schools that have not yet confirmed their access should do so immediately.
KNEC has also published a detailed user manual on the portal. It explains step by step how to access the tools, follow the instructions, use the scoring guides and upload learners’ scores.
Reading it before starting can help schools avoid errors at the upload stage, when time is most limited.
Two other requirements remain in force. Assessment tools that contain colour images must be printed in colour or loaded onto digital devices available in the school.
Headteachers must also keep all records and evidence generated from the assessments, as these support the credibility of the results and may be required for verification. KNEC said the evidence should be held for at least six months after uploading of scores.
Integrity must not be sacrificed for speed
The time pressure should not tempt schools into shortcuts. KNEC has warned teachers against sharing assessment resources in social media groups, where materials have previously ended up in the hands of learners before they sat the papers.
The council has described this as a serious violation that could have dire consequences for schools and teachers.
The warning builds on earlier appeals in which KNEC asked schools to uphold integrity in the assessments.
The council has stressed that SBA results form key information about the status of learners and the competencies they have acquired.
Rushed or inflated scores would distort that picture and could lead to poor decisions on learner support and progression.
Responsibility rests with heads of institutions. Headteachers are expected to ensure that tools are kept confidential, that printing and storage are supervised, and that the scores uploaded genuinely reflect learner performance.
What schools should do now
With the deadline closing in, education stakeholders say schools should prioritise the following:
Finish administering the tests today and tomorrow. Primary schools closing on Wednesday have a very short window left to assess learners who are still pending.
Register subject teachers and issue credentials now. Individual teachers can only upload their own subject scores once they have been registered and given their passwords.
Tick “Remember Me” at login. This helps teachers avoid repeated OTP requests after being logged out.
Keep OTPs within reach. Heads should be available to issue OTPs promptly, or delegate this to a trusted deputy, so that uploads do not stall.
Assign scoring and data entry to specific teachers. Clear responsibilities save time, especially where staff are also preparing for the national assessments.
Follow the user manual. It covers the scoring guides and the upload process step by step.
Upload early and in batches. Waiting until the final hours risks delays or errors that could leave learners’ results incomplete, particularly if the portal is under heavy traffic on Friday.
Keep all evidence. Records generated from the assessments must be retained.
Why the scores matter
SBA is a central feature of the CBC. Rather than judging learners through a single terminal examination, the system gathers evidence of learning over time through projects, practical tasks and written tests.
The results feed into records that follow learners as they progress through the levels of basic education.
If scores are missing, late or inaccurate, the record for that learner is incomplete. Teachers, parents and policymakers then lose information they need to give each learner the right support. That is why KNEC has insisted on both timeliness and integrity.
The countdown
With primary schools closing tomorrow, secondary schools already out, and rehearsals for the national assessments set for Friday, the final days of the term will be demanding for school managers.
The CBA portal will remain central to the exercise, and headteachers have until 23rd October 2026 to ensure every learner’s scores are on it.
Schools that plan carefully, divide the work among their teachers, resolve login hurdles early, protect the confidentiality of the papers and keep proper records will be best placed to meet the deadline and give a true picture of their learners’ progress as the school year closes.