The company set to handle the printing of Kenya’s 2026 national examination materials and the amount it will be paid are among details Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah wants the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to make public.
Omtatah has asked KNEC to open up on how it procured the services for the printing of the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) materials.
The senator wants the council to provide a breakdown of the procurement process, including the method used to select the contractor, the firms that submitted bids, how they were assessed and the company that eventually won the contract.
He is also seeking the total value of the agreement, payments already made, the funds set aside for the exercise and the budget under which the expenditure was approved.
Omtatah said he was exercising his right to access public information under Article 35 of the Constitution and the Access to Information Act, 2016.
“I have formally written to KNEC seeking information on the procurement and printing of the 2026 KCSE, KJSEA and KPSEA examination materials,” he said in a post on X.
“This is not a request for examination papers or security-sensitive information. It is a demand for transparency on the use of public funds,” he added.
The senator has also asked KNEC to provide the tender number, the title of the procurement and the date on which the process started.
He wants the council to state whether it used open tendering, restricted tendering, direct procurement or another method to obtain the services.
If the council did not use open tendering, Omtatah wants it to explain the legal basis for choosing the alternative method and the circumstances that led to that decision.
He is further seeking the number of companies that took part in the competition and the standards used to assess their bids.
Omtatah wants KNEC to identify the successful contractor and give details of the agreement covering the printing, packaging, handling and distribution of the examination materials.
The senator has asked for the date the contract was signed, how long it will run and the services that the contractor is expected to provide.
He is also interested in the ownership structure of the successful company and its ability to carry out the assignment.
KNEC has been asked to state whether the contractor is locally owned, foreign-owned, a joint venture or another form of company.
For a Kenyan firm, Omtatah wants the council to explain whether it carried out checks on its technical, financial and operational capacity before awarding the contract.
He has also requested details of any subcontractors involved in the work and the duties assigned to them.
Omtatah seeks payment records
The senator has asked KNEC to disclose how much money was allocated for the procurement and how much has already been paid or committed.
He also wants the council to provide information on the budget allocation supporting the exercise.
Omtatah is seeking confirmation on whether the successful contractor met tax and other statutory requirements before receiving the award.
He specifically wants to know whether KNEC checked the company's tax compliance status with the Kenya Revenue Authority.
The request comes amid scrutiny of Inform Lykos (Hellas) SA, a Greek security printing company that has previously handled the printing of Kenya's national examinations and ballot papers.
Reports in April said the Kenya Revenue Authority was examining the company over a tax claim connected to a Sh2.8 billion KNEC contract involving examination materials.
Omtatah mentioned the matter in his letter but did not claim that Inform Lykos (Hellas) SA had won the 2026 examination printing contract.
Omtatah has made clear that his request does not cover information that could expose the security of the national examination system.
He said he is not asking for examination papers, security features, printing specifications that could make the materials easier to forge, secure locations or operational security arrangements.
His focus is on procurement information and the use of public money.
Omtatah said KNEC should identify specific information that cannot legally be released instead of withholding the entire procurement process on security grounds.
“National security cannot become a blanket excuse for withholding information that the law requires public bodies to disclose,” he said.
He has also asked KNEC to give reasons and explain the available review or appeal process if it refuses to release any part of the information.
“If access is denied in whole or in part, provide the reasons for the decision and the applicable review or appeal mechanism,” Omtatah said in the letter.
The senator said giving the public access to information on how funds are spent would help protect confidence in the national examination system.
“Kenyans have a right to know how public resources are used,” he said.
“Accountability protects, rather than undermines, the integrity of our national examinations.”