Government and Policy

New Third Term Dates Set As National Exams Season Looms

BY Getrude Mathayo · August 3, 2026 04:08 pm

The Ministry of Education has released the official calendar for the third term of 2026, confirming that pre-primary, primary, junior, senior and secondary school learners will be back in class from August 24 through October 23.

The dates were confirmed in a circular sent to regional, county and sub-county directors, with instructions to pass the calendar on to all basic education institutions nationwide.

Learners have nine weeks of instruction ahead of them before the country’s exam machinery kicks into gear.

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First up is the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), set for October 26 to 29, running alongside the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA), which stretches from October 26 to 30.

Candidates in the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will sit their papers over a longer window, October 26 to November 5.

Then comes the big one: the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), scheduled to run from November 2 to 20.

Once the dust settles, the calendar has learners breaking for the December holidays from October 26 through January 1, 2027.

The ministry also reaffirmed a rule that’s been in place for a while now: no visits or outside activities in secondary schools during the third term.

“Activities and visits to secondary schools in the third term of 2026 remain banned as per the earlier circulars,” the circular read.

That ban holds firm right through the exam period, meaning candidates won’t be heading home until the term officially wraps up.

The policy traces back to former Education CS Fred Matiang’i, who introduced it as part of a broader push to curb exam cheating by limiting contact between candidates and outsiders during the critical final stretch.

For now, learners can enjoy their three-week break, running from August 3 to 21, before heading back for what’s shaping up to be a demanding final term.