Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has opened a one-week window for 370,000 students facing deregistration to provide valid birth certificates ahead of the 2019 KCSE and KCPE examinations. The directive, issued in a March 1 circular, requires county and sub-county education directors to urge parents and guardians to obtain genuine documents for candidates who lacked them or submitted falsified numbers.
Acting CEO Dr. Mercy Karogo emphasized urgency, stating registration systems for both exams would reopen from March 7 to March 15 to allow birth certificate number amendments. Knec warned that candidates with invalid documents would be barred from exams, with final validation to occur via the Integrated Persons Registration Services (IPRS) department.
Of 1.78 million registered candidates, 342,916 primary school students and 28,713 secondary school pupils faced cancellation. Meru county had the highest cancellations, with 23,806 primary and 3,646 secondary candidates affected. Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) criticized the deadline, arguing birth certificate issuance is a government responsibility and that current systems allow placeholder numbers for missing documents.
Kessha chair Kahi Indimuli called Knec's approach counterproductive, stating deregistration would disrupt educational transitions. Kenya Primary School Heads Association (Kepsha) maintained head teachers' role was limited to identifying candidates during exams, not verifying documents. National Parents Association chair Nicholas Maiyo urged Knec to target parents who submitted fake certificates rather than penalizing students.
