NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has ordered all schools to urgently verify and confirm school-based assessment (SBA) scores for learners sitting the 2026 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
In a notice issued to institutions, KNEC said the verification exercise must be completed by July 30, 2026, warning that incomplete or incorrect records could affect candidates’ final examination results.
The council said the move is intended to ensure that all continuous assessment scores have been accurately uploaded and captured on the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) portal ahead of the national assessments scheduled later this year.
“All heads of institutions are expected to log into their school CBA portals to confirm the status of uploading of SBA scores for their 2026 KPSEA and KJSEA candidates. This should be done by July 30, 2026,” KNEC said.
How KPSEA and KJSEA scores are calculated
Under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework, learners’ final results are derived from a combination of classroom-based assessments conducted over several years and a national summative examination.
For KPSEA, which is administered to Grade 6 learners at the end of primary school, SBA scores accumulated in Grades 4, 5 and 6 contribute 60 per cent of the final score, while the national assessment accounts for 40 per cent.
For KJSEA, taken by Grade 9 learners completing junior school, assessment is spread across multiple stages.
A learner’s KPSEA performance contributes 20 per cent, SBA scores from Grades 7 and 8 contribute another 20 per cent, while the Grade 9 national summative assessment accounts for 60 per cent of the final result.
Follow-up to earlier SBA upload exercise
KNEC said it is currently cross-checking the capture of SBA scores for all candidates expected to sit the 2026 KPSEA and KJSEA examinations.
The directive follows an earlier exercise that required schools to upload SBA scores for Grade 4 and Grade 5 learners.
In that exercise, the council extended the submission deadline to June 18 and cautioned that institutions that failed to comply would face penalties.
According to KNEC, the current verification process is meant to identify and correct any omissions or errors before candidates’ records are finalised, ensuring that learners are assessed fairly based on both classroom performance and national examinations.
July 30 deadline also applies to Grade 10 registration
The council further announced that the July 30 deadline will also apply to the registration of Grade 10 learners on the CBA portal, following the conclusion of senior school assessment centre registration on May 22.
KNEC warned that schools which failed to register as recognised assessment centres during the stipulated period will not be allowed to register Grade 10 learners on the CBA system.
The registration of Grade 10 learners marks a key milestone in the rollout of the CBE, following the transition of the first cohort to senior school in January.
Under the new system, school-based assessments continue to play a major role in determining a learner’s final outcome in the Kenya Certificate of Basic Education (KCBE).
Formative assessments in Grades 10 and 11 each contribute 15 per cent, while the Grade 12 summative assessment accounts for the remaining 70 per cent of the final subject score.
