Avoid last-minute rush! KNEC urges early registration of Grade 9 candidates for KJSEA

KNEC CEO David Njegere during the launch of the 2026 registration of candidates, February 13, 2026. /KNEC

The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has called on headteachers across the country to promptly register Grade 9 learners for the 2026 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), cautioning against last-minute applications that could disrupt planning and placement.

KJSEA is a mandatory national assessment administered at the end of Junior School under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework.

It evaluates learners’ competencies and plays a critical role in guiding their placement into Senior School.

Registration for the 2026 KJSEA began on Tuesday, March 2, and will run until March 31, 2026.

The exercise commenced two weeks after the start of registration for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.

In a reminder to school heads, KNEC urged institutions not to delay the process.

“As the head of the institution or principal, have you registered your candidates? Do not wait for the last-minute rush and register your candidates today,” the council said.

The registration process is conducted through the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal, which serves as the centralised platform for enrolling Grade 9 candidates for their final Junior School assessments.

School heads are required to access the portal via https://cba.knec.ac.ke/, log in using their centre code as both username and password, confirm the data protection checkbox, and click on the “Sign In” button.

Upon logging in, heads of institutions must update their credentials, including their name and mobile phone number.

A one-time secret code is then sent to the registered phone number for verification.

Once the code is confirmed, users are redirected to the “Authorised Applications” dashboard, where they can select “Registration & SBAs” and begin registering candidates.

Meanwhile, registration for KPSEA and KCSE, which began on February 16, will close on March 16 and March 31, respectively.

KNEC’s appeal for timely registration follows challenges experienced in previous examination cycles.

While announcing this year's registration cycle on February 13, the council disclosed that it received 5,743 requests for late registration for the KCSE examination after the closure of its registration portals in 2025.

Chief Executive Officer David Njengere said the requests came from both public and private schools, with some principals only declaring unregistered candidates after pressure mounted from parents and media scrutiny.

He described the process as a foundational step in national examination planning, underscoring the significance of timely and accurate registration.

“For instance, when a school indicates the wrong gender for a learner and the error goes uncorrected, such a learner may end up being placed in a school of the opposite gender,” he explained.

Njengere called on school associations, parents and guardians to work closely with institutions to ensure learners’ details are captured correctly and within the stipulated timelines, to avoid unnecessary disruptions.