KNEC/GEN/EA/EMS/REG/KPSEA&KILEA/2026/01
11th February, 2026
To: i) All Sub-County Directors of Education
ii) All Heads of Institutions presenting learners for the 2026 KPSEA and KILEA
SUBJECT: REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE 2026 KENYA PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION AND KENYA INTERMEDIATE LEVEL EDUCATION ASSESSMENTS
Registration of learners wishing to sit the 2026 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) is scheduled to commence on 16th February, 2026 and end on 16th March, 2026.
The process will be undertaken in adherence to the laid down regulations on conduct of KNEC Assessments/examinations as stipulated in the ‘KNEC Rules and Regulations (2015)’ and the ‘User Guide for Management and Administration of KPSEA; KILEA; USEA and KPLEA (2025 Edition)’ which can be accessed from the KNEC website (https://cba.knec.ac.ke).
In this regard, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) wishes to bring the following information to your attention:
1.0 Registration of learners for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA)
Heads of Institutions (Hols) presenting candidates for the 2026 KPSEA are expected to ensure adherence to the following:
1.1 All learners who are in Grade 6 will be registered afresh for the assessment, through the KPSEA Registration portal which shall be accessible between 16th February to 16th March 2026;
1.2 Candidates presented for the assessment must be the eligible learners in the respective institutions presenting them and will be registered using the Assessment number issued to them in Grade 3;
1.3 Learners without assessment numbers will not be able to register for KPSEA, since the assessment number will be mandatory.
1.4 Eligible KPSEA candidates without assessment numbers must be registered in the Grade 6 portal first, to be assigned an Assessment Number. Upon successful assignment of the Assessment Number in the Grade 6 portal, the Head of Institution will be enabled to register the candidates.
1.5 Any errors of candidates’ biodata must be corrected during registration (where applicable), to ensure accuracy of the data submitted, including the following:
1.51 Correct spelling and order of learners’ names as documented in their Birth Certificates;
1.5.2 Gender;
1.5.3 Year of birth;
1.5.4 Citizenship;
1.5.5 Religious Education option registered for; and
1.5.6 Category of special needs and disabilities (where applicable) indicated as follows:
i) Visual Impairment — VI (for blind candidates who require Braille – B);
ii) Low Vision – LV (for candidates who require Large Print papers LV);
iii) Hearing Impairment — HI (Deaf – KSL);
iv) Physical Impairment – PH; and
v) Intellectual Disability – ID.
1.6 Details for candidates with special needs must be accurately captured and the accompanying Form for such candidates (which is available in the KNEC website) is duly filled, together with accompanying medical reports/evidence of the disability.
The documentation which must be submitted together with registration documents include:
1.6.1 a recent and detailed medical report from a recognized medical doctor/practitioner;
1.6.2 an Assessment Report from the Sub-county Special Needs office (EARC);
1.6.3 a full size coloured photograph for candidates with physical disabilities;
1.6.4 a report from the Head of Institution on any special interventions required for fair administration of the examination.
Heads of institutions must confirm from their school portals that the School Based Assessment (SBA) scores for Grades 4 and 5 are uploaded, for all candidates registered for KPSEA.
1.8 Any requests for transfer at Grade 6 must be done online to avoid double registration of candidates.
Transfer of candidates will not be allowed after the closure of the registration portal on 16th March, 2026.
1.9 Registration of ghost candidates constitutes an assessment malpractice, which attracts sanctions, including de-registration of the schools as a KNEC assessment centre.
1.10 Parents/guardians’ details (names and mobile numbers) will be captured online, for use to confirm registration of candidates and accuracy of the data at the end of the registration period.
2.0 Registration of learners in the Stage-Based pathway
Identification of learners following the stage-based pathway who are to be registered for KILEA shall be guided by the teachers handling the learners, upon confirmation of the learners’ readiness to sit for the Assessment.
The institutions will register the learners through the KILEA Registration portal (https://cba.knec.ac.ke).
Payment of Assessment Fees
3.1 The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education (MOE) shall pay assessment fees for all candidates in public and private schools except for those who are not Kenya Citizens.
3.2 The fees payable for non-citizens sitting for KPSEA or KILEA is Kes. 750.00 and shall be borne by the candidate. The fees shall be paid directly to KNEC through E-citizen platform and it is mandatory for successful registration.
4.0 Registration of new Assessment centres
4.1 All applications from new institutions wishing to be considered as KNEC Assessment centres must have been submitted to KNEC through the respective SCDEs’ offices before end of 2025.
Assessment Centres to be considered for inspection by KNEC are those that submitted the following documents to KNEC at the time of application:
4.1.1 A certified copy of a valid Registration Certificate from the County Education Board (CEB); (expired certificates will not be accepted);
4.1.2 A certified Inspection questionnaire from the SCDE’s office, duly filled;
4.1.3 A certified Inspection Report from the Public Health and Sanitation Department, duly filled;
4.1.4 An Application Form, duly filled by the school;
4.1.5 Evidence of payment through e-citizen of Assessment Centre Registration fees of Kes. 5,000.00 for public schools and Keso 15,000.00 for private schools.
4.2 KNEC will conclude the process of inspection and approval/non-approval of new Assessment centres by 27th February, 2026 and communicate to the institutions through the SCDEs’ offices. Centres that will not have been approved by this date will be expected to liaise with their respective SCDEs for identification of approved Assessment centres to register their candidates.
4.3 Prospective/new Assessment centres will not be able to access the KNEC registration portal until their request has been approved by KNEC.
5.0 Hosting of candidates and Assessment centres
The following guidelines shall apply for institutions presenting KPSEA/KILEA candidates:
5.1 Schools with less than ten (10) candidates will not be allowed to register candidates for the 2026 KPSEA as independent Assessment Centres. Such schools are advised to liaise with their respective Sub-County Directors of Education (SCDEs) to identify an approved KNEC Assessment Centre with more than ten (10) candidates for registration of their learners.
5.2 Assessment centres with less than thirty (30) candidates shall be hosted in approved centres to be identified by the SCDEs, in line with the guidelines provided by KNEC on the same.
5.3 Schools for learners with special needs and Government correctional facilities are exempted from the conditions given in 5.1 and 5.2.
5.4 KNEC reserves the right to deregister and/or place an Assessment Centre and its candidates in another centre if deemed necessary, as provided for in the KNEC Ru/es and Regulations (2015).
6.0 Coding of New Sub-Counties and Distribution Centres
6.1 Newly created sub-counties requesting for coding of their sub-counties and re-coding of the Assessment centres within their jurisdiction are expected to submit the following documents to KNEC:
6.1.1 A copy of the Kenya Gazette notice legalizing creation of the Sub-county;
6.1.2 List of schools within the new sub-county, indicating their previous codes and the proposed new codes;
6.1.3 Location of their Distribution Centre (Container); and
6.1.4 Details of the Deputy County Commissioner’s (DCC) or Assistant County Commissioner’s (ACC) offices.
6.2 It is the responsibility of Heads of Institutions to confirm the accuracy of their Collection points (Distribution Centres/containers) as indicated in the nominal rolls, where they will be collecting their assessment materials from. Any discrepancies/changes should be communicated to KNEC through the SCDEs.
7.0 Access to Institutions’ online portals
7.1 All SCDEs and heads of institutions will log into the cba portal using their usernames and passwords. Upon login they will be required to validate their contacts that will be used to enhance the two-factor authentication. Any time the Heads of Institution (HOI) logs in to the CBA portal a one time password (OTP) will be generated and will be used to complete the process.
7.2 The Heads of institutions shall be responsible for the use and security of the Passwords and OTP issued by KNEC for access to their portals. It is important to note that:
7.2.1 Passwords/ OTPs are confidential and are intended for use by the designated user. Heads of institutions are therefore responsible for the security, custody and access of the passwords/ OTPs for their institutions;
7.2.2 Heads of institutions must safeguard their passwords/ OTPs to restrict access to the school’s registration and assessment related data by unauthorized persons;
7.2.3 In case of loss or forgotten password, the head of institution should send an email to KNEC (kpsea@knec.ac.ke) requesting for assistance by KNEC or contact the SCDE;
7.24 All new Assessment Centres (once approved and uploaded onto the CBA portal) shall access the registration platform by keying in their Centre Code as the Username and password. Thereafter, heads of institutions are advised to change the password from the Centre Number to a password of their choice to maintain confidentiality.
8.0 Handling of the registration data
8.1 In line with the provisions of Sections 25, 26 and 29 of the Data Protection Act of 2019, all Centre Managers are requested to:
8.1.1 ensure that parents/guardians of the KPSEA candidates consent to the collection of personal data of their learners;
8.1.2 inform them that the data collected will be solely used for the purpose of conducting the Assessment and that KNEC will adhere to all the regulations and requirements for data protection.
8.2 The candidates will sign the Nominal after confirming accuracy of their details.
9.0 Examination registration related sanctions and penalties
9.1 Centre Managers shall be held solely responsibie for the accuracy and timeliness of submission of registration data for their candidates.
9.2 The KNEC Registration portal shall be closed on 16th March, 2026 and any request for late registration received after closure of the portal will attract a penalty.
9.3 Parents/guardians and candidates MUST therefore confirm the accuracy of candidates’ registration. Candidates MUST confirm the subjects they are registered for, before signing the Nominal rolls. KNEC will also provide an SMS service for parents/guardians to confirm the registration data with their candidates in April, 2026.
9.4 No requests for amendment of the registration data wili be honoured after 22nd May, 2026.
This is to request that the contents of this circular be brought to the attention of ALL the relevant stakeholders, including parents and candidates.
Dr. David Njengere, MBS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
