The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has announced supplementary assessments for diploma teacher trainees in January and February 2027. Eligible trainees include those referred in previous assessments or who missed specified 2026 college-based assessments. Registration for the assessments will open on November 9, 2026, and close on December 15, 2026. The assessments will cover selected diploma programs, including Diploma in Primary Education, Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education, and Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education.
The supplementary assessments are restricted to trainees who were referred in previous assessments or missed their July 2026 Year One and Year Two College-Based Assessments. Trainees registered for the exercise will be required to sit both the relevant College-Based Assessments and Summative Assessments. The council has set the supplementary assessment fee at Sh7,200 per trainee, payable in one instalment. Candidates who have been referred in the practicum component will pay an additional Sh5,000 for the practicum assessment.
The registration window will be open from November 9 to December 15, 2026, and college principals are instructed to register eligible trainees. The council will issue individual assessment timetables after registration closes. The assessments will run from January 18 to February 12, 2027. Trainees should confirm their eligibility and have their details submitted during the registration period.
The Kenya National Examinations Council has also issued instructions on how colleges should organise candidates for the supplementary assessments. Colleges with fewer than five teacher trainees will not be permitted to operate as independent assessment centres. They must identify KNEC-approved centres with more than 10 trainees and arrange registration through those institutions.
Assessment centres with fewer than 10 trainees will also be hosted by approved colleges with more than 10 candidates during the exercise. This means some trainees may have to sit their assessments at a different institution rather than their own college. College principals must submit signed nominal rolls bearing the signatures of the trainees and the principal, along with relevant medical reports and evidence of assessment fee payment.
The documents should reach KNEC's Teacher Education Assessments Management Services Department at New Mitihani House, South C, by December 30, 2026. The supplementary exercise follows a formal request by the Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals Association, which sought another opportunity for referred trainees to satisfy assessment requirements ahead of the March 2027 graduation.
For eligible candidates, the immediate step is to establish their status with their college and ensure they are registered before December 15. Missing the registration window could mean losing the opportunity to complete the outstanding assessments in this January/February sitting. The standard path for diploma teacher training programs in Kenya involves a 3-year full-time study duration evaluated by the Kenya National Examinations Council.
Key points
- The Kenya National Examinations Council will hold supplementary assessments for diploma teacher trainees in January and February 2027.
- Eligible trainees include those referred in previous assessments or who missed specified 2026 college-based assessments.
- The supplementary assessment fee is set at Sh7,200 per trainee, payable in one instalment.
