KNEC Issues Guidelines for 2026 Grade 10 and Vocational School-Based Assessments.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has issued guidelines for the administration of the 2026 Grade 10 and vocational level School-Based Assessments (SBA), directing schools to access assessment projects and practicals through the KNEC Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) Portal beginning July 2, 2026.
In an official circular, the Council outlined the implementation framework for the assessments, indicating that projects and practicals will be conducted during Term 2, while written assessments will be administered in Term 3. Schools will be required to upload learners’ assessment scores to the KNEC CBA Portal by October 31, 2026.
According to KNEC, the Grade 10 and vocational level School-Based Assessment projects and practicals will be made available electronically through the CBA Portal for access by registered schools.
“KNEC will upload the Grade 10 and vocational level School Based Assessments on the KNEC CBA Portal. The projects and practicals will be administered in term 2 and the written tests in term 3,” the Council stated in the circular.
The Council directed school principals to access the assessment materials by logging into the KNEC Competency-Based Assessment Portal using official school credentials together with a One-Time Password (OTP) authentication process.
Under the guidelines, principals have been assigned responsibility for downloading the assessment materials, coordinating the administration of the School-Based Assessments, supervising the assessment process, and ensuring the submission of learners’ scores within the prescribed timelines.
Teachers will be required to assess learners strictly in accordance with the official scoring rubrics, marking guides, and assessment instructions issued by KNEC for each subject and learning area.
KNEC further directed schools to maintain comprehensive records and evidence of learners’ work generated during the assessment process. The required evidence includes electronic portfolios comprising photographs, videos, audio recordings, and any other relevant documentation supporting the assessment outcomes. The Council also encouraged schools to utilise improvised materials available within the school environment where the prescribed assessment resources may not be readily available.
The Council emphasised strict compliance with the prescribed scoring procedures and warned that any manipulation of assessment results would constitute examination malpractice under the Kenya National Examinations Council Act.
“Deviation in scoring, leading to over-awarding or uploading of fictitious scores not based on the learner’s work, shall be considered as malpractice and attract administrative action in line with the provisions of the KNEC Act,” the circular stated.
According to the guidelines, School-Based Assessment scores obtained at Grade 10 will contribute 15 per cent of a learner’s final Grade 12 certification score under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
The assessments will cover all Grade 10 pathways and learning areas, including:
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM);
- Social Sciences;
- Arts and Sports Science; and
- Vocational education disciplines.
KNEC further clarified that sample School-Based Assessment tools will be provided for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Physical Education (PE) to guide teachers during assessment. However, the Council specified that assessments for the two subjects will be conducted exclusively at the school level.
The latest guidelines follow an earlier KNEC directive requiring all secondary school principals to register Grade 10 learners on the KNEC Competency-Based Assessment Portal by July 30, 2026.
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According to the Council, the portal has been established to facilitate continuous learner tracking from Grade 3 through Senior School under the Competency-Based Education framework.
The system will also support the enrolment of learners into their selected Senior School pathways and subjects, management of School-Based Assessments, administration of projects and practicals, and the submission of assessment results.
KNEC Issues Guidelines for 2026 Grade 10 and Vocational School-Based Assessments.
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