KNEC EXAMINER PASSES AWAY

On Monday, November 24, 2025, an examiner for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment died at Machakos Girls High School.
The Kenya National Examination Council, KNEC, says Nicodemus Mutua Mutuku was an active member in the marking exercise of KJSEA that started on November 7, 2025.
The deceased was a team leader in the Creative Arts and Sports Paper.

Mutuku taught at Nduluni Junior school in Makindu Sub-County, Makueni County. He was also an examiner with the KNEC for many years of the now-defunct Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations before he was transitioned to the Competency-Based Education (CBE).

"We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mr. Mutuku's family, friends, loved ones, and fellow examiners," said KNEC CEO Dr. David NJengere in a statement Tuesday.

Marking of the exams started right after the completion of the KJSEA exams on November 6, 2025.
The Ministry of Education had earlier stated that the results for the Junior Secondary tests would be released on December 11, 2025.

The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment for Grade 9 learners ended on November 3, where a total of 1,130,669 candidates sat for the examination.

Marking commenced at designated centres, where the multiple-choice papers were marked electronically while the open-ended responses were manually reviewed by trained examiners.

Results are officially set to be released on 11 December 2025 and will be accessible via the KNEC portal, SMS shortcode, and printed slips from schools.

The grading system is from eight achievement levels, AL1–AL8, determined by a weighted score: KJSEA 60%, School-Based Assessment 20%, and KPSEA 20%.

Placement to senior school will be completed before Christmas, and learners will report to Grade 10 on 12 January 2026. Teachers' benefits are managed through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Pensions Department under the National Treasury.

Teachers serving on permanent and pensionable terms are entitled to a one-off lump sum equivalent to two years’ salary, paid to the legal representative or dependants. They are also entitled to a quick relief of Ksh 300,000, which is ideally disbursed within 48–72 hours to cover the funeral costs.

The dependants of the teacher are also pensioned in case of their death, with monthly payments for the spouse and children under 18 years, especially if the teacher died while in active service.
These benefits are designed to lighten the burden of a family; however, due to document flaws or disputes about succession, the processing tends to take months or even years.

There is no official death benefit scheme beyond payment for marking work for teachers contracted by KNEC as examiners. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education is the main national examination under active marking. The papers were completed on 21 November, and marking began immediately at 40 secured centres across the country. Over 32,000 examiners have been deployed amid strict integrity protocols, which include the prohibition of electronic devices and social media platforms to prevent leaks.

Results are expected to be released in January 2026. About 418 candidates were, however, flagged for examination malpractices during the KCSE 2025 administration with offences ranging from impersonation, possession of mobile phones, collusion, to leaking of papers. KNEC said this was a relatively positive trend, because it was a decrease from 614 cases recorded in 2024.