Kenya has launched a nationwide blockchain based e certification system that secures more than 15 million academic records on the Avalanche blockchain, replacing manual verification processes with a tamper proof digital platform.
The initiative, rolled out by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) in partnership with a local technology provider using the Avalanche C Chain, enables employers, universities and other institutions to verify academic credentials within seconds through a dedicated online portal.
The system marks one of the largest blockchain deployments for public education records in Africa and is expected to significantly reduce certificate fraud while accelerating the verification process for job seekers and institutions.
Records dating back to 1989 digitised
According to KNEC, the platform has already digitised examination records dating back to 1989, with more than 15 million academic records anchored on the Avalanche blockchain.
The council also announced that certificates for nearly one million candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination will now be issued exclusively through the new e certification platform.
The rollout is expected to expand to approximately 35 million verifiable records over time while processing millions of new certificates annually.
The platform will cover multiple levels of Kenya's education system, including Grade 8 examinations, KCSE records, advanced diploma programmes and government teaching faculty certification programmes.
Verification time cut from months to seconds
Before the rollout, verifying academic credentials often required manual requests through government portals or offline submissions, with processing times ranging from one month for individual applications to as long as six months for bulk verification by employers.
Even more recent verification methods, including QR codes printed on certificates, remained dependent on centralised databases that could be manipulated or mimicked through fraudulent websites.
Under the new system, every academic record is converted into a blockchain secured digital credential, allowing employers and institutions to independently verify certificates within seconds without relying on manual administrative processes.
The blockchain based registry creates an immutable record of each certificate, making it resistant to alteration or forgery.
KNEC highlights benefits for candidates
Commenting on the initiative, KNEC Chief Executive Officer Dr David Njengere said the new platform gives candidates greater control over their academic credentials while simplifying the verification process.
"Candidates no longer have to rely solely on physical certificates. Instead, they can securely access, download and verify their KCSE certificates online, providing a faster, more reliable and more convenient way of managing academic credentials in the digital age," he said.
The Kenya deployment adds to a growing list of public sector blockchain projects built on the Avalanche network.
According to Avalanche, the same underlying technology has previously been used to digitise more than 700,000 land records in India's Dantewada district, reducing verification times from weeks to less than a day.
In the United States, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has digitised 42 million vehicle titles on Avalanche to combat lien fraud, while Bergen County, New Jersey is tokenising 370,000 property deeds representing approximately $240 billion in real estate assets.
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