KNEC SBA 2026 Term 3: Full Schedule, Subjects and Portal Guide

KNEC SBA 2026 Term 3: Full Schedule, Subjects and Portal Guide.

The Kenya National Examinations Council opened its Term 3 School Based Assessment (SBA) tools on the CBA portal on 28th September 2026. Schools have until 23rd October 2026 to administer the tests, score them, and upload every learner’s results.

The tools cover Grades 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, plus SNE learners on the Foundation Level (Stage Based Curriculum). Grade 6 and Grade 9 are sitting out this particular round because they’re preparing for their own national assessments later in the year.

Everything below — the exact subjects per grade, how to get into the portal, and what the rules actually say about confidentiality — comes from KNEC’s official circular and verified reporting, not guesswork.

Key Dates at a Glance

That gives schools roughly four weeks to administer, mark and upload — while also closing out the rest of the term. Front-loading the download and portal checks in week one is the difference between a calm exercise and a last-week scramble.

Why Grade 6 and Grade 9 Are Skipping This Round

Grade 6 learners are exempt from the Term 3 SBA tools so they can focus on preparing for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), which closes out primary school. Grade 9 learners are exempt for the same reason, ahead of the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), the exit assessment for junior school.

That’s why this particular release concentrates on Grades 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 — the cohorts still mid-cycle rather than facing a terminal national assessment.

How the Two-Term SBA Cycle Works

Under the Competency Based Curriculum, School Based Assessment isn’t a single event — it runs across two terms each year:

• Term 2: learners complete projects, practicals and performance tasks, letting teachers observe applied skills, problem-solving and teamwork directly.
• Term 3: learners sit written tests and structured performance tasks — the tools just released.

The two halves are combined to build a fuller picture of a learner’s competency than a single exam could give.

Read Also: TSC Secretary/CEO Job Vacancy 2026: Salary, Requirements and How to Apply

What’s Being Assessed, Grade by Grade

Each subject comes with its own scoring guide, which teachers use to keep marking standardised across schools.

Accessing the CBA Portal: Step by Step

1. Go to https://cba.knec.ac.ke using the school’s registered credentials.
2. Forgotten your password? Use the “forgot password” function built into the portal rather than contacting KNEC directly first — it resolves most access issues immediately.
3. Read the user manual posted on the portal homepage before downloading anything. It walks through navigating the repository, applying scoring guides correctly, and formatting data for upload — skipping it is where most schools lose time to avoidable errors.
4. Download the tools for your school’s relevant grades.
5. Administer, score and upload within the window ending 23 October 2026.

Handling Color Graphics and Diagrams

Some assessment items — particularly in Science and Technology, Social Studies and Creative Arts — use color-coded diagrams or visual data. Schools without color printing capacity should plan early: either arrange printing elsewhere or display the material on a school-owned screen or device. Presenting a color-dependent question in black and white risks making it genuinely harder to answer correctly, which unfairly affects scores through no fault of the learner.

Confidentiality: What the Circular Actually Requires

KNEC’s SBA circulars consistently include a standard confidentiality clause: heads of institutions, subject teachers, and (for national assessments) candidates must treat all assessment materials as confidential from the moment they’re downloaded until the scheduled administration time. This is routine practice, not unique language invented for this release — a comparable clause appears in KNEC’s other 2026 SBA and project circulars.

In practical terms, that means:

• Portal login credentials stay with trusted, designated staff only.
• Printed materials are stored under lock and key, not left in staffrooms or photocopying areas.
• Nobody photographs, scans, screenshots, or forwards assessment content before the administration time — to anyone, on any platform.

Read Also: KNEC Denies Fake 230,000 Jobs Notice Circulating Ahead of 2026 Exams

The Real Story Behind the Telegram and WhatsApp Warnings

You may have seen headlines this year linking KNEC directly to a “stern warning” about Telegram and WhatsApp specifically tied to this Term 3 SBA release. That framing overstates what the actual circular says — the September 2026 SBA guideline is a scheduling and logistics document with a standard confidentiality clause, not a document built around social media leaks.

The genuine, well-documented KNEC alarm over Telegram and WhatsApp channels leaking exam content came earlier, during the 2025 KCSE season. KNEC data from that period showed 51 Telegram and WhatsApp channels reported to the Communications Authority of Kenya over exam-related content, with 19 still active and 36 cases under investigation at the time. Separately, 123 teachers were arrested over pre-exam irregularities across 2024 and 2025 combined, alongside 10 students — with officials noting that invigilators and school staff, not just students, were increasingly implicated.

That episode concerned the national KCSE exam, not the Term 3 SBA tools for Grades 3–8. The underlying lesson still applies to every KNEC assessment, including SBA: digital access to test materials creates a leak risk that didn’t exist when everything moved by sealed envelope, and KNEC has shown it actively monitors messaging platforms for this activity.

What Happens If a Teacher Leaks Assessment Materials

Kenyan law treats exam malpractice as a serious offence, not an internal school matter. Under the framework built around the KNEC Act, 2012, regulations governing examination management have provided for penalties as severe as a five-year prison term, a fine in the region of KSh 2 million, or both, for those found culpable of compromising national assessments.

Separately, teachers face professional consequences through the Teachers Service Commission. Under Section 30 of the TSC Act, 2012, examination malpractice is one of the recognised grounds for deregistration — permanent removal from the Register of Teachers, which bars a person from teaching in any public or private school in Kenya unless later reinstated. TSC has used this power against teachers in past exam-malpractice cases at the KCSE level, and schools that knowingly employ a deregistered teacher can themselves face sanctions.

Institutions aren’t shielded either: an examination centre implicated in serious malpractice can face suspension or deregistration as a testing centre, which affects every learner at that school, not just the party responsible.

Headteacher Responsibilities

KNEC places day-to-day accountability on the head of institution. In practice, that means:

• Restricting portal access to a small number of vetted, senior staff.
• Personally supervising printing and reproduction of assessment materials.
• Storing physical copies in a locked, secure location.
• Tracking exactly when materials move from storage to the classroom.
• Maintaining complete records of scores, scripts and performance evidence for later verification.

Read Also: TSC Junior School Teachers Interviews 2026: Scoring, Documents and Dates

Checklist for Schools Before 23 October

• Confirm portal login works; reset passwords now, not in week three.
• Read the KNEC user manual before downloading anything.
• Arrange color printing or digital display for graphic-heavy questions.
• Lock down physical and digital access to downloaded materials.
• Brief all subject teachers on confidentiality expectations and the consequences of sharing content externally.
• Keep organised records of scripts, scoring sheets and evidence.
• Upload every learner’s score well before the 23 October deadline — don’t wait for the last day.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Term 3 SBA scores need to be uploaded?
By 23rd October 2026, one day before schools close for the year.

Which grades are covered in this release?
Grades 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, plus SNE Foundation Level learners. Grade 6 and Grade 9 are exempt this term.

Where do schools download the tools?
Through the official CBA portal at https://cba.knec.ac.ke, using the school’s registered credentials.

Is the Telegram/WhatsApp leak warning specific to this SBA release?
No. The documented crackdown on Telegram and WhatsApp exam-leak channels relates to the 2025 KCSE season. The Term 3 SBA circular carries KNEC’s standard confidentiality clause, which applies to all assessment materials generally.

What happens if a school can’t print color materials?
Arrange alternative printing or display the material digitally on a school-owned device — don’t administer a visual-dependent question in black and white if it would obscure the answer.

KNEC SBA 2026 Term 3: Full Schedule, Subjects and Portal Guide.

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