Kenya Plans Digital Exams to Reduce Billions Spent on Printing National Tests

The government is planning to introduce paperless examinations in schools as part of major reforms in the education sector. The move is expected to help reduce the billions of shillings spent every year on printing and managing national examinations.

Speaking during an education stakeholders meeting in Naivasha, Ministry of Education Director General for Basic Education Elyas Abdi said the government is working together with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to introduce electronic assessment systems in schools.

According to Abdi, national examinations have become very expensive over the years, and digital exams could help lower the costs in future.

KNEC currently requires billions of shillings every year to print, supervise and manage examinations across the country. However, the budget allocated has often been lower than the amount needed.

During the 2024/2025 financial year, KNEC faced a funding gap of Sh3.7 billion while administering national examinations. The shortage reportedly affected operations and forced Parliament to intervene.

Government estimates also show that examinations and invigilation in the 2026/2027 financial year could require around Sh14.7 billion, but only Sh9.9 billion has been proposed in the budget, leaving a major deficit.

For many years, Kenya has been printing some examination materials abroad, especially secure exam papers and answer sheets. Education stakeholders have criticised the practice, saying it increases costs and creates logistical challenges.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi recently questioned why Kenya still prints examination materials in London despite the high expenses involved.

KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere said the move towards digital examinations has been encouraged by the successful use of online exams in teacher training colleges.

Over the last three years, more than 37,000 teacher trainees have completed electronic examinations and graduated successfully. KNEC’s digital assessment programme started with only 45 candidates in 2021 but has now expanded to more than 50,000 candidates in over 100 institutions by 2025.

Currently, trainees in teacher training colleges sit their examinations online and submit their work electronically through the KNEC portal for marking.

KNEC now plans to roll out digital assessments in senior secondary schools starting in 2027. The council believes the system will improve digital literacy among learners, speed up the release of results, support remote marking and improve education planning through automated data analysis.

Experts also estimate that digital examinations could reduce operational costs by up to 30 per cent.

The proposed Kenya National Educational Assessments Council Bill 2025 also seeks to introduce modern technologies in learner assessment, including electronic marking, artificial intelligence-powered scoring and real-time assessments.

During the meeting in Naivasha, Abdi also said Grade 10 learners had already settled into their career pathways under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). He added that Grade 12 curriculum materials had already been prepared and teacher training was ongoing.

Somalia’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education Hassan Ali also attended the meeting and said Somalia had made major progress in rebuilding its education sector after years of conflict.

Meanwhile, Acting CEO of UNESCO Kenya James Njogu said the stakeholders meeting aimed to use research findings to improve education policies and decision-making in Kenya.

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