The Ministry of Education has ruled out postponing the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations because of the expected El Niño rains, saying preparations are underway to ensure candidates can sit their papers as scheduled.
A ministry official said national examinations must be taken at the same time across the country, even as heavy rains and flooding are expected to cause transport and access challenges in some areas.
“The national examinations are zero-sum. They cannot be postponed and cannot be delayed. Everybody must do the paper at the same time across the country,” the official said.
The clarification was made on Wednesday, August 26, during the 13th National Climate Outlook Forum in Nairobi, where stakeholders discussed the October-December 2026 rainfall forecast.
The ministry acknowledged that heavy rains could make it difficult to transport examination materials and reach some schools, particularly in areas likely to experience flooding.
However, the official said the government had already identified areas that could be affected and was making plans to move some examination centres to alternative locations if roads become impassable.
“We map out the country in advance, and then we decide which centre should be moved to which location to mitigate against areas that we are very sure we will not be able to reach in case of any emergencies,” the official said.
Drones, Aircraft to Support Exam Logistics
The ministry will also use air transport to deliver examination materials to areas that cannot be reached by road.
The official said drones would also be deployed this year as an additional option to ensure examination materials reach their destinations.
“We also do airlifting. If we cannot go by road, we go by air. This year we are going to deploy drones. Those are some of the innovations we are putting in place,” the official said.
The government is also preparing for possible disruptions to food supplies in boarding schools during the examination period.
Schools have been advised to stock adequate food supplies before the rains intensify to avoid interruptions to feeding programmes.
The ministry said disruptions to food deliveries could put additional pressure on boarding schools, especially during examinations when learners need to remain in school and have uninterrupted access to meals.
“On food supplies, boarding schools feed; they have feeding programmes. When food supply is affected, the school becomes distressed, especially during exams, so we advise them to stock. They will be guided accordingly on which food to stock,” the official said.
The announcement was made following the warning issued by the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority on the increasing severity of the El Niño, which is expected to cause rains from late September to December 2026.
There had been fears that the rainfalls would affect the KCSE examination period, which is set to run from October to November.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education reiterated that the examinations will go ahead as planned despite the weather disruptions.
