The Ministry of Education has announced major changes to how national examination and assessment certificates will be issued, confirming that digital certificates will soon become part of the system.
The reform will be implemented through the Kenya National Examinations Council as part of a broader modernization push.
Under the new plan, KNEC will introduce electronic certificates (e-certificates) to improve security, reduce operational costs, and streamline verification.
The rollout will begin with a pilot phase targeting candidates who sat national examinations from 2023 onwards. Officials say the phased approach will allow testing and refinement before full national adoption.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the shift reflects a deliberate move toward digital systems in public education administration.
He explained that the council designed the platform to meet international standards in secure credential management and digital records handling.
Ogamba said the electronic certificate system will deliver four direct gains: stronger data security, lower printing and storage costs, faster access for certificate holders, and alignment with global digital transformation trends.
He added that paper-heavy systems expose institutions to inefficiencies and fraud risks that modern platforms can reduce.
According to the ministry, the pilot program will test system performance, user access controls, and verification workflows before nationwide rollout.
KNEC plans to release detailed technical guidelines and user procedures during the public launch of the pilot phase.
That communication will include how candidates, institutions, and employers will access and validate credentials.
Officials expect the new system to significantly reduce certificate forgery and unauthorized alterations.
Digital certificates will include secure verification features that make tampering harder and detection easier.
Education authorities view this as a direct response to long-standing concerns about fake academic documents circulating in the job market and admission processes.
KNEC also confirmed that if the pilot succeeds, the council may extend digital certification to candidates who completed exams before 2023.
That expansion would depend on system capacity, record quality, and verification feasibility for older archives.
No blanket conversion has been approved yet, but planners are actively evaluating it.
Alongside e-certificates, KNEC will strengthen its online certificate verification service. The upgraded platform will allow employers, universities, and other institutions to confirm certificate authenticity faster and with fewer manual checks.
The goal is to shorten verification timelines and remove dependence on physical document inspection.
The council already operates a digital verification platform, but it remains in pilot mode after its earlier launch.
The new reforms will integrate verification more tightly with the e-certificate database, creating a single trusted validation channel. That integration should reduce duplication and inconsistent records across systems.
KNEC continues to run the Query Management Information System (QMIS), which supports exam record services. Through QMIS, users can confirm results and request certification letters when original certificates get lost or damaged.
The council says QMIS will remain active and may link with the new digital certificate framework for faster processing.
Education officials frame the reform as structural, not cosmetic. They want certificate issuance and verification to move from paper control to data control.
That shift changes how institutions manage trust, authenticity, and access. If execution matches the plan, verification will become faster, cheaper, and harder to manipulate.
If execution fails, confusion and parallel systems will create friction. The pilot phase will decide which path wins.
