Last reviewed: 18 October 2026
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has published the timetable for the 2026 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA). Grade 9 candidates have a rehearsal on Friday 23 October 2026 and sit the written papers over five days, from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Every date and time below is taken from the KNEC document 2026 KJSEA Timetable and Instructions (reference KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003), which is marked as a revised version. Check with your child’s school in case KNEC issues a later revision.
On this page
Projects Done Before the Written Papers
| When | Code | Project | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| May to July 2026 | 911/1 | Creative Arts & Sports (Project) | 3 months |
| July 2026 | 912/2 | Pre-Technical Studies (Project) | 1 month |
| July 2026 | 906/2 | Agriculture (Project) | 1 month |
These projects are already finished for the 2026 cohort. They are part of the assessment, so if your child was absent for any of them, speak to the school now rather than after results.
Day-by-Day Timetable for Standard Papers
All first-session papers start at 8.30 a.m. The table shows the standard papers. Braille and hearing-impaired versions are listed in the next section.
| Day and date | Time | Code | Paper | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 23.10.2026 | Rehearsal | |||
| Day 1: Monday 26.10.2026 | 8.30–10.10 am | 901/1 | English Language | 1 hr 40 min |
| 11.10 am–12.55 pm | 901/2 | English (Composition & Literary Analysis) | 1 hr 45 min | |
| Day 2: Tuesday 27.10.2026 | 8.30–10.10 am | 902/1 | Kiswahili Lugha | 1 hr 40 min |
| 8.30–10.10 am | 904/1 | Kenyan Sign Language | 1 hr 40 min | |
| 11.10 am–12.55 pm | 902/2 | Kiswahili (Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi) | 1 hr 45 min | |
| 11.10 am–12.50 pm | 904/2 | Kenyan Sign Language | 1 hr 40 min | |
| Day 3: Wednesday 28.10.2026 | 8.30–10.30 am | 903 | Mathematics | 2 hrs |
| 11.30 am–1.10 pm | 906/1 | Agriculture | 1 hr 40 min | |
| Day 4: Thursday 29.10.2026 | 8.30–10.10 am | 905/1 | Integrated Science | 1 hr 40 min |
| 11.10 am–12.40 pm | 907 | Social Studies | 1 hr 30 min | |
| 2.00–3.40 pm | 911/2 | Creative Arts & Sports | 1 hr 40 min | |
| Day 5: Friday 30.10.2026 | 8.30–10.10 am | 912/1 | Pre-Technical Studies | 1 hr 40 min |
| 11.10 am–12.40 pm | 908 | Christian Religious Education (CRE) | 1 hr 30 min | |
| 11.10 am–12.40 pm | 909 | Islamic Religious Education (IRE) | 1 hr 30 min | |
| 11.10 am–12.40 pm | 910 | Hindu Religious Education (HRE) | 1 hr 30 min | |
| 2.00–3.00 pm | 905/2 | Integrated Science (paper 2) | 1 hr | |
Breaks: 30 minutes after the first paper each day (10.40–11.10 am, or 11.00–11.30 am on Day 3), and 50 minutes over lunch on Days 4 and 5 (1.10–2.00 pm). A learner sits only one of the three religious education papers, and Kenyan Sign Language replaces Kiswahili for learners who take KSL.
Braille and Hearing-Impaired Papers
KNEC gives candidates using Braille or hearing-impaired versions extra time on the same days. For example:
- English Language: 1 hr 50 min (hearing impaired) or 2 hrs 10 min (Braille); English Composition: 1 hr 55 min or 2 hrs 15 min.
- Kiswahili Lugha (Braille): 2 hrs 10 min; Kiswahili Insha (Braille): 2 hrs 15 min.
- Mathematics (Braille): 2 hrs 30 min, 8.30–11.00 am.
- Agriculture, Integrated Science paper 1, Creative Arts & Sports and Pre-Technical Studies (Braille): 2 hrs 10 min each.
- Social Studies and each religious education paper (Braille): 2 hrs; Integrated Science paper 2 (Braille): 1 hr 30 min.
The school should already have registered your child for the right version. If you are unsure, ask the class teacher this week.
Rules Every Candidate Should Know
The timetable carries KNEC’s instructions to candidates. The most important ones for parents to go over at home are:
- Arrive early. Candidates must be at their desk 15 minutes before each paper. Anyone more than half an hour late is given a paper only in exceptional circumstances.
- No extra time. Reading time is part of the time shown on the paper.
- Bring the right kit. Black or blue ink only, no erasable pens. Pencils are for diagrams and shading multiple-choice answers. Bring mathematical and drawing instruments.
- Phones are banned. A candidate found with a phone or any other electronic communication device will have their results cancelled.
- Irregularities cost the whole subject. Cheating in one paper cancels the result for the entire subject. Widespread irregularities can cancel a whole centre’s results.
- Check the paper. Make sure every page is printed and the name and assessment number are correct, and sign the answer booklet.
How to Use the Last Week
With the papers this close, the most useful things a parent can do are practical. Keep bedtime regular so your child is rested for 8.30 a.m. starts. Lay out pens, pencils and a geometry set the night before. Go through one short timed practice paper per subject, then go over mistakes together rather than drilling new topics. On Day 4 and Day 5 there are three papers each, so a good breakfast and something to drink matter. Our guide on how to help your child revise for KJSEA has more detail.
After the assessment, results feed into senior school placement on a 60:20:20 basis with school-based assessment and KPSEA. Read KJSEA explained for how results are reported, and our placement and pathways guide for what comes next.
KPSEA Runs the Same Week
If you also have a child in Grade 6, the 2026 KPSEA uses the same rehearsal day (Friday 23 October) and runs from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October 2026. See KPSEA explained for that timetable.
Source
- KNEC, 2026 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) Timetable and Instructions, ref. KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003 (revised). Copy hosted by Education News Hub; also available from schools and knec.ac.ke.