KNEC Urges Referred DPTE Candidates to Register for Retakes as Kenya Begins a New Era in Teacher Training
As the first cohort of the Diploma in Teacher Education, Pre-Primary and Primary sits its papers this week, thousands of referred DPTE trainees face a race against the registration deadline.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has urged the 2023 Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) candidates who received referrals in their 2026 results to register for the retakes before the application window closes.
The call comes as retakes are already under way for candidates referred in the 2025 results, and the resits are open to both DPTE and Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) candidates.
Candidates have been advised to contact their colleges for guidance on the application process and the fees payable.
The message carries particular weight this year, because the 2026 DPTE results showed an unusually high number of referrals, and because the programme itself is about to be replaced.
A New Programme Sits Its First Papers
The DPTE is being phased out in favour of the Diploma in Teacher Education, Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP&P). Its first cohort is sitting the KNEC summative assessment this week.
The papers began on 27 October 2026 and run to 5 November. They followed a rehearsal on 26 October, which gave colleges and candidates a chance to test arrangements before the real papers began.
The examination is the visible end of a policy change that began earlier this year.
How the Programme Came About
On 19 January 2026, the then Principal Secretary for Education, Julius K. Bitok, issued a circular (Ref. QAS/ECDE/7/1B/2/193) to County Directors of Education and Sub County Directors of Education.
Its subject was the training of teachers for the Diploma in Early Childhood Education. The circular announced that the DECTE had been merged with the DPTE and re-designated as the DTE PP&P.
It added that the Upgrade Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (UDECTE) had been discontinued.
The directives were firm and took effect immediately:
- KNEC was directed not to register any candidates for assessment under the DECTE or UDECTE programmes.
- No admissions were to be undertaken for DECTE.
- No registration or approval of colleges would be processed for either DECTE or UDECTE.
- All Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) were to offer the DTE PP&P programme on a full-time basis, while school-based training remained suspended until further notice.
- All concerned offices were told to ensure strict compliance.
The merger followed recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), chaired by the late Prof. Raphael Munavu.
The working party’s work shaped much of the thinking behind the restructuring of Kenya’s education system, and teacher training reform is one of its practical outcomes.
Why Merge the Two Diplomas?
Early childhood educators went through DECTE, while primary teachers pursued DPTE, even though the learners they serve are at neighbouring stages of the same developmental journey. The competency-based curriculum treats learning as a continuum.
A child who leaves PP2 enters Grade 1 carrying skills, habits and gaps from the earlier stage, and teachers on both sides benefit from understanding the whole path.
DTE PP&P responds to this by preparing one teacher to work across the range from PP1 and PP2 through Grades 1 to 6. The programme runs for three years.
Admission requires a minimum KCSE mean grade of C (plain), a standard intended to keep entry consistent across the colleges that offer it.
The Retakes: Who Is Affected
While the new programme takes centre stage, the older one is still working through its backlog. Retakes are currently ongoing for candidates who were referred in the 2025 results.
Now KNEC is urging the 2023 DPTE candidates referred in the 2026 results to register before the application window closes.
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.
Because registration depends on the college, candidates have been told to approach their institutions directly for guidance on how to apply and what fees to pay.
Kwale TTC’s Notice
One example of this communication comes from Kwale TTC. On 22 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, HSC, 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.
- Resit fee per referred subject: Ksh. 1,000
- Administration fee: Ksh. 3,700, made up of:
- Basic fee: Ksh. 1,200
- Fee per subject: Ksh. 1,000
- Search fee: Ksh. 500
- Facilitation fee: Ksh. 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.
Missing the window could mean waiting for another sitting, which delays graduation, certification and entry into the teaching service.
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. Following the PWPER recommendations, 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.
The picture is notable alongside the new DTE PP&P, which restores the minimum KCSE mean grade of C (plain). Whether that standard resolves the problem will only be clear once the first cohort’s results are released.
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.
Two Questions, One Deadline
The two explanations for the referrals are not mutually exclusive. Lowered entry grades and technical difficulties could both have contributed, and the uneven spread across colleges suggests that institutional factors, such as teaching quality and exam preparation, may also matter. Until KNEC or an independent body publishes a fuller analysis, the debate will continue.
For the individual trainee, however, the practical position is simpler. The registration window is limited, and the retake is the route to completing the diploma.
Candidates who wait for answers on the wider questions risk losing their place in the current sitting.
The advice from KNEC is consistent: check with your college, confirm your referred subjects, pay through official channels, and register on time.
For the 2023 cohort, that is the most reliable way forward, while the first DTE PP&P graduates, now in the examination room, begin a new chapter in Kenya’s teacher training.
