The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has issued a notice urging parents and guardians to confirm the registration status of candidates for the 2026 national assessments and examinations before the end of this month.

SMS Verification for Candidates

The directive, issued on Friday, April 17, targets learners set to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).

Parents can now verify their child’s registration through an SMS service by sending the candidate’s assessment or index number to 20076.

Details Parents Must Confirm

According to KNEC, the verification process is aimed at ensuring that all candidates are correctly captured in the system well ahead of the examination period.

The council has outlined several key details that parents must confirm, including the correct spelling and order of names, gender, and date of birth.

Additionally, parents are required to check the school where the candidate is registered, as well as their citizenship status, whether Kenyan or non-citizen.

Subject Selection Checks

For KPSEA and KJSEA candidates, subject selection must also be verified, particularly choices between Kiswahili and Kenyan Sign Language, as well as Religious Education options such as CRE, IRE, or HRE.

KCSE candidates, on the other hand, are expected to confirm their optional subjects to avoid last-minute discrepancies that could affect their examination records.

Deadline and Advisory

KNEC has set April 30, 2026, as the deadline for parents to complete the confirmation process, warning that any errors not corrected by then may be difficult to rectify later.

Parents with concerns or discrepancies have been advised to immediately contact their respective school heads for assistance and clarification.

Early Verification Crucial

The move follows earlier remarks by KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere, who warned that the council often receives complaints from parents too close to the examination period, only to discover that some candidates were never registered.

Njengere maintained that early verification through the SMS platform will help eliminate such cases and streamline examination planning for thousands of candidates nationwide.