Kenya has launched a blockchain-based platform for verifying academic credentials through the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) moving more than 30 million examination records onto the Avalanche blockchain in a bid to curb certificate fraud and streamline verification.
According to Avalanche, the system enables employers, universities, and government agencies to instantly verify academic records without relying on paper certificates which have long been vulnerable to forgery. The platform is expected to reduce verification times while lowering administrative costs associated with manual checks.
The rollout builds on Kenya’s broader push toward digital identity infrastructure.
In October 2025, the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy said it was exploring Verifiable Credentials (VCs) and digital wallets to replace paper-based academic certificates with cryptographically secured digital records under internationally recognized standards. The initiative envisioned citizens storing and sharing academic qualifications through self-controlled digital wallets while allowing institutions to verify credentials in real time.
While opening the Stakeholders Workshop on Verifiable Credentials, William Kabogo, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE), convened key participants from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Ministry of Education, and the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), among others.
Without mentioning the use of blockchain or distributed ledger technologies, the workshop focused on establishing a shared understanding of VCs and digital wallets, exploring real-world use cases, and aligning on a roadmap for the nationwide implementation of VCs.
The academic credential platform follows earlier pilot projects involving digital credential wallets and verifiable credentials for public services, positioning Kenya among a growing number of countries using blockchain technology to secure educational records and digital identity systems.
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