KNEC bans all wristwatches from KCSE exam rooms, orders wall clocks
KCSE candidates can no longer wear any kind of watch in the exam room, including ordinary analogue ones. KNEC says centres must put a wall clock in every room as the 2026 exams enter their third week.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has barred KCSE candidates from wearing wristwatches of any kind in examination rooms. Centre managers must now provide a wall clock in every room. The directive is dated Sunday, November 1. It comes as the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations enter their third week. "No wristwatches of any kind for candidates in the examination room. Centre managers to provide wall clocks in every room," the message said, according to The Eastleigh Voice. Kenyans.co.ke reported that KNEC banned smartwatches and other advanced timepieces in 2023 but still allowed ordinary analogue watches. According to the outlet, the new directive covers analogue watches too. The Eastleigh Voice reported that KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere set out four directives for running the papers with the largest numbers of candidates. Examination containers must be opened at exactly 7 am. Officers must follow the prescribed procedures when handling exam materials. Mobile phones also face tighter…
Read more 2 min read