The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has released new guidelines to help employers, universities and other organisations seeking to verify Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates through its e-Certificate platform.
According to the guidelines reviewed by Kenyans.co.ke, organisations are required to first register as verifier organisations on the online portal before accessing the service.
Registration Process
During registration, applicants must provide the required organisational details, request a one-time password (OTP) and use the six-digit code sent to their registered email address to confirm the account.
They must also upload an incorporation certificate before their application is submitted for review.
KNEC will then assess the organisation’s details and either approve the application or reject it with reasons, allowing the organisation to reapply after making corrections.
Organisations whose applications are approved will gain access to the verifier dashboard to begin submitting certificate verification requests.
Certificate Verification
To verify a certificate, users must enter a candidate’s index number, examination year, examination type and full name exactly as it appears on the certificate.
They will also be required to upload the candidate’s e-certificate in PDF format before proceeding with the request.
The platform allows organisations to submit multiple candidates under a single verification request.
Before completing the process, users must indicate the purpose of the verification, such as employment, admission or immigration, and accept a consent declaration.
Payments can be made using account credits or through eCitizen via mobile money or other supported payment channels.
Once the process is complete, the system generates verification reports indicating whether each certificate has been confirmed as genuine or referred to KNEC for further review.
The guidelines come amid heightened scrutiny following a series of cases involving forged academic documents used to secure public sector jobs and promotions.
Earlier this month, two former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) employees were convicted in separate cases after being found to have used fake academic certificates to obtain employment and promotions.
