The 2026 KCSE examinations have entered a crucial stage, with more than one million candidates beginning their written papers as Kenya prepares to bring the 8-4-4 education system to an end.

A record 1,048,355 candidates are sitting this year's examinations across more than 10,000 centres nationwide, making it the first time the number of KCSE candidates has crossed the one-million mark.

The candidates began their theory papers on Monday, November 2, with English (Functional Skills) scheduled for the morning session and Chemistry in the afternoon.

The examinations are particularly significant because this is the second-last cohort to sit the KCSE under the 8-4-4 system. The final KCSE examination is expected to take place in 2027 as the government continues its transition to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.

The 2026 candidature represents a 5.27 per cent increase from the 995,860 candidates who sat the examination in 2025.

The examination period began on October 19, with candidates taking oral, practical and other papers before the start of the written examinations.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has introduced strict measures to protect the integrity of the examinations and prevent cheating.

KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njegere directed examination officials to ensure mobile phones are switched off and stored in secure lockers outside examination rooms during examination sessions.

Candidates have also been prohibited from wearing wristwatches, with centre managers instructed to provide wall clocks in examination rooms.

The council has further directed examination centre managers to maintain approved lists of authorised personnel. Those reporting to examination centres must present their original national identity cards for identification.

Meanwhile, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has warned parents, teachers and other stakeholders against buying purported leaked examination papers from fraudsters.

Speaking on Sunday, Omollo cautioned that individuals claiming to have access to examination papers were taking advantage of parents and candidates for financial gain.

He warned that anyone involved in examination malpractice would face legal consequences.

"We have invested so much as a government. The President has hired enough teachers, and he is putting a lot of money in the education sector. We cannot cheat or play games with the lives of our children," Omollo said.

The government has deployed thousands of personnel to oversee the national examination exercise.

KNEC has engaged 342,005 contracted professionals to manage this year's national examinations and assessments, including the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).

For KCSE alone, the council has deployed 10,765 centre managers, 12,126 supervisors, 54,782 invigilators, 22,247 security officers and 2,692 drivers.

The KCSE examinations are taking place alongside the country's transition to a new education system, with the combined number of candidates and learners registered for KCSE, KJSEA and KPSEA reaching approximately 3.63 million.

The 2026 KCSE examinations are scheduled to conclude on November 20, with candidates awaiting the results of a sitting that marks an important moment in the country's education history.