The Ministry of Education has announced that the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results will be released on Friday, January 9, 2026.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is expected to preside over the official release ceremony in Eldoret, starting at 9.30 am.

Nearly 996,000 candidates sat the national examination in 2025 across various examination centres countrywide. The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has been finalising the marking and processing of the results ahead of Friday’s announcement.

According to the ministry, candidates will be able to access their results shortly after the official release.

The announcement comes amid concerns from some parents over what they viewed as a delay in releasing the results. However, Education CS Julius Ogamba maintained that the process was proceeding as scheduled, noting that KCSE results are traditionally released in January.

Ogamba assured the public that the 2025 KCSE results timeline had not changed.

In a significant policy shift aimed at addressing the longstanding issue of withheld certificates, the ministry has introduced a new system under which candidates will collect their KCSE certificates from sub-county education offices rather than from their former schools. The move is intended to curb delays often linked to unpaid school fees.

The 2025 KCSE examinations were conducted between October 21 and November 14, 2025. During the examination period, 418 candidates were flagged for various irregularities.

Marking of the exams briefly stalled on November 30, 2025, after about 800 examiners stationed at Maryhill Girls High School in Thika downed their tools, citing concerns over working conditions and poor communication from the ministry.

KNEC later confirmed that the dispute had been resolved, stating that all examiners had been paid and dismissing claims that coordination payments were still outstanding.

Last month, KNEC also warned schools against withholding KCSE certificates under any circumstances. The council reminded institutions that the law requires the immediate release of certificates and urged candidates facing challenges to seek assistance from the sub-county director of education.

The directive followed persistent complaints from learners who said some schools were retaining certificates to compel parents to clear fee arrears. While some institutions have argued that the practice helps mitigate financial risks or address unreturned learning materials and unresolved disciplinary issues, KNEC reiterated that such actions are unlawful.

The examinations body urged affected candidates to report any cases of certificate withholding to education officials for prompt intervention.