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Kenya’s national examinations authority has anchored cryptographic proofs for more than 15 million academic records on Avalanche as it rolls out a digital certificate issuance and verification platform.
The Kenya National Examinations Council expects the system to cover about 35 million records as more examination categories are added. It includes historical results dating to 1989 and is intended to shorten checks that previously could take weeks or months.
KNEC Opens Digital Access to Records From 1989
KNEC is using Avalanche’s C-Chain to anchor verification proofs linked to official examination records rather than placing complete certificates or personal data on the public blockchain. The initial deployment covers more than 15 million certificates.
Nearly one million candidates from the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education cohort will receive certificates exclusively through the electronic platform, while historical secondary and primary-school records from 1989 onward are also available.
Students and former candidates can generate digital copies after confirming their identities and examination details. Each certificate includes a verification hash that can be checked against its corresponding blockchain anchor.
Employers Can Verify 1,000 Certificates in 6 to 10 Minutes
Universities, employers, professional bodies and immigration agents can use organizational accounts to check individual certificates or submit batches of up to 1,000 documents.
The system compares examination and identity information with KNEC’s database and tests each certificate against its blockchain proof. KNEC says a batch of 1,000 certificates typically takes six to 10 minutes to process.
Documents are classified as genuine or referred to KNEC for further review. A referral may occur when database information does not match or when the blockchain integrity check fails.
Rollout Targets 35M Records Without Exposing Personal Data On-Chain
The full rollout is expected to cover about 35 million records and process millions of new certificates each year. Planned categories include secondary and primary examinations, advanced diplomas and government teaching qualifications.
The system uses Merkle-tree proofs so certificate data can be verified without publishing complete personal records on Avalanche. Candidates access the service through KNEC’s portal, while payments are handled through Kenya’s eCitizen infrastructure.
The project expands an earlier verification system that added encrypted QR codes to certificates issued from 2023. KNEC plans to complete the remaining historical records and extend digital issuance to additional examination and professional-certification programs.
