TTCs Issue Resit Registration Guidelines to 2023 DPTE Trainees as Mass Referrals Shake the Sector
Referred trainees are urged to contact their colleges for guidance as the November 2026 resit window approaches
Thousands of Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) trainees who spent the last three years preparing for the classroom are now preparing to resit the subjects in which they were referred.
Teachers’ Training Colleges (TTCs) across the country have begun issuing guidelines to the 2023 intake on how to register and pay for the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) resit examinations, scheduled for November 2026.
The communication follows the release of the 2026 DPTE results, which showed an unusually high number of referrals.
According to KNEC, 9,792 of the 25,098 candidates (39.02%) were referred this year. Mathematics was the leading cause, with 6,815 failures, followed by Kiswahili with 2,988 and English with 1,514.
Kwale TTC’s Notice
One example of this communication comes from Kwale TTC. On 22nd October, 2026, the college issued a notice (Ref: KWL/TTC/26/10/001) to referred DPTE trainees on resit fees and the payment deadline for the November 2026 sitting.
The notice, signed by Chief Principal and Board Secretary Mrs. Hellen N. Machuka sets out a resit fee per referred subject and an administration fee, directs payment through the college’s official Paybill, and advises trainees to pay before the registration window closes. It also names the College Secretary as the contact for clarification.
Breakdown of Fees issued by Kwale TTC
Resit fee per referred subject: Ksh. 1,000
Administration fee: Ksh. 3,700 (Basic Fee-1,200/=, Fee per subject-1,000/=, Search fee-500/=, Facilitation fee-2,000/=)
Fees, payment channels and procedures can differ from one college to another. Kwale TTC’s notice is only an illustration of the kind of guidance being issued.
What Referred Trainees Should Do
All DPTE candidates with referrals are advised to contact their own colleges for guidance. Trainees should:
- Confirm exactly which subjects they were referred in.
- Ask the college administration or accounts office for the fees payable and the official payment method.
- Establish the deadline for payment and registration.
- Keep proof of payment and request a receipt or acknowledgement.
- Avoid paying through unofficial channels or individuals.
- Begin revising early, especially in Mathematics, where failures were highest.
Understanding the Scale of the Problem
Nearly four in ten candidates were referred nationally. In Mathematics alone, 6,815 candidates failed. KNEC Chief Executive Officer Dr. David Njengere has attributed the failure to lowered entry grades.
After the 2023 Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), led by the late Prof. Raphael Munavu, entry into TTCs was lowered from a C (plain) to attract more trainees. This allowed candidates with D and E in Mathematics to join.
In the 2026 class, only 14.52% had a C or above in KCSE Mathematics, while 68.27% had D to E, yet the diploma curriculum remains demanding. This was the first cohort admitted under the new entry requirement.
Colleges Hit Hardest
Referrals were not spread evenly. Mosoriot TTC recorded the highest number, with 927 of 944 candidates referred and only 17 set to graduate.
St. Mark’s Kigari TTC in Embu followed with 541 of 860, then Kaimosi TTC with 442 of 665, Asumbi TTC with 422 of 750, and Thogoto TTC with 367 of 755. Mateco TTC recorded 354 referrals, while Borabu TTC had 341 of 627.
Other colleges fared far better. Moi TTC referred only 14 of 513 candidates, Galana TTC in Kilifi 15 of 128, and Kibabi Diploma TTC 18 of 171.
The wide variation raises questions. If entry grades were the main driver, a more uniform pattern would be expected.
Candidates Raise Different Concerns
Many candidates and their supporters have raised other reasons for the mass referrals, focusing on the configuration of the Safe Exam Browser (SEB), particularly the reported three-attempt logout limit. Their questions include:
Was the system designed with learners in mind? DPTE trainees are assessed on professional knowledge and competencies, not IT skills.
Could accidental logouts lead to permanent lockouts? If a learner was logged out and entered an incorrect password twice, would a third failed attempt lock them out, and what recovery mechanism existed?
Did technical challenges affect the results? Were learners trained on the system, and were network interruptions, password errors and lockouts recorded and investigated?
Why impose strict limits without adequate safeguards? An examination should measure knowledge and skills, not penalise technical difficulties beyond candidates’ control.
These are concerns raised by candidates and their advocates, not established findings. No independent audit has yet been published.
The Demands
Those raising the concerns want the relevant assessment authorities to:
- Conduct an independent technical audit of the SEB configuration and its three-attempt logout limit.
- Publish a clear explanation of the causes of the mass referrals and failures.
- Establish whether technical failures, account lockouts or system interruptions affected results.
- Provide affected learners with a fair review and, where necessary, a reassessment under reliable and accessible conditions.
- Ensure future assessments have safeguards against accidental lockouts and other preventable technical barriers.
Their message is blunt: “Our children should not be used as experiments.” They call for transparency, accountability and fairness in the 2026 DPTE assessment process.
Conclusion
The debate over entry grades and assessment delivery may take time to resolve, but the resit deadline will not wait.
Trainees who believe technical problems affected their performance should document what happened and raise it in writing through their college administration, while still registering for the resit as directed.
All referred DPTE candidates should contact their colleges now for guidance on fees, payment and registration for the November 2026 resits.