The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has started preparations to secure examination papers ahead of this year’s KCSE and KJSEA exams, with the council seeking new storage containers and repair services.
In a tender notice issued on Tuesday, August 11, KNEC invited eligible companies to bid for the supply and delivery of examination storage containers as well as related repair work.
“KNEC invites sealed bids from eligible Bidders for the Tenders below: Supply and delivery of Examination Storage Containers and related repair services,” the council said in the notice.
The containers are expected to provide secure storage for examination materials as the council prepares for the national examination period later in the year.
The procurement is part of the wider preparations already underway at KNEC ahead of the 2026 examination cycle.
Last month, the council also opened applications for teachers and tutors interested in training as examiners for the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
The training was scheduled to take place through online sessions between July and August, followed by residential training for shortlisted applicants.
For KJSEA, KNEC was looking for examiners in subjects including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Agriculture, Social Studies, Christian Religious Education, Creative Arts and Sports, Pre-Technical Studies and Special Needs Education.
KCSE examiner training covered subjects such as Kiswahili, Biology Practical, Islamic Religious Education, Computer Studies, French, German, Arabic and various Special Needs Education papers.
Those who successfully complete the training are expected to join the pool of examiners who will be involved in marking this year’s examinations from October.
The latest preparations, however, come at a time when questions remain over payments owed to teachers and other personnel who worked during the 2025 national examinations.
Teachers’ unions have warned that their members could consider boycotting this year’s examination exercise if the outstanding payments are not cleared.
Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa last week sought to assure teachers that the government was addressing the issue.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, Ololtuaa said funds had been released to KNEC and that payments to invigilators, supervisors and other examination workers were expected to start on August 6.
It remains unclear whether all the outstanding payments have since been cleared.
For now, KNEC is continuing with preparations for the 2026 examinations, with the purchase and repair of storage containers forming part of the logistical work needed to ensure examination papers are safely kept before and during the tests.
