The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has unveiled detailed regulations for the recruitment and deployment of Centre Managers, Supervisors, and Invigilators ahead of the 2025 national examinations and assessments scheduled between October 21 and November 21.
In a circular signed by Acting Commission Secretary and CEO E. J. Mitei, KNEC directed all heads of institutions and teachers selected for the roles to be “qualified, employed and registered by the TSC.”
The Council emphasised that those nominated “should be of high integrity and not easily compromised.”
Schools have until September 26 to identify, vet, and nominate staff before uploading their details to the online CP2 system via http://cp2.knec.ac.ke.
“The identified Centre Managers, Supervisors and Invigilators must register in the CP2 system for them to be deployed to manage the 2025 national examination and assessments,” the statement reads.
KNEC has barred supervisors and invigilators from serving in schools where they have worked in the last three years.
“No Supervisor or Invigilator will be deployed in a school they have served in the last three (3) years,” the Council stated, adding that the system is configured to enforce this rule.
All personnel must also declare any vested interest in their assigned centres. Those confirmed to have conflicts will be redeployed.
Centre Managers will play a key role in verification and daily oversight. “Centre Managers will be required to verify the Supervisors and Invigilators posted to their Centres by confirming their details and workstations,” KNEC said.
They must also take daily online attendance “right from the rehearsal day,” download and print registers, and ensure they are “signed by all the Officers involved, stamped by the Centre Manager and the SCDE for submission to KNEC.”
The guidelines set strict staffing ratios. For every 200 candidates, there will be one supervisor, and for every 20 candidates one invigilator.
Centres with both Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) candidates will receive separate supervisors if each assessment has at least 30 candidates.
Centres hosting candidates who are blind must have at least one invigilator who understands braille.
Special provisions were outlined for Stage-Based Pathway exams, such as KILEA and KPLEA.
“Teachers for Stage-Based Pathway shall invigilate their own Learners. For every ten (10) Learners, there should be one (1) Invigilator,” KNEC directed, adding that these centres will not have external supervisors or Centre Managers.
Qualification requirements differ across exams. For KCSE, supervisors must be serving secondary school teachers with at least a diploma in education, “preferably Senior Teachers or Heads of Departments,” while invigilators must be primary school teachers with a minimum of three years’ teaching experience.
Similar standards apply to KJSEA and KPSEA, with supervisors required to have prior national examination experience.
KCSE supervisors will also rotate weekly, with outgoing officers required to provide handover notes.
“During KCSE Oral and Practical examination papers, only supervisors shall be required to be at the Examination Centres,” the circular states.
KNEC urged sub-counties facing recruitment challenges to seek help by writing to [email protected]. “Thank you for your continued support in the management of National Examinations and Assessments,” Mitei concluded.
The 2025 examinations include KCSE, KJSEA, KPSEA, KILEA and KPLEA, all set to run from October 21 to November 21.
