Updated 12 November 2026
The official way to search the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya is to use the Kenya National Qualifications Authority’s National Qualifications Database, not a college brochure or a social-media certificate post. The Authority still served that database on 12 November 2026 at nqd.knqa.go.ke. The official title on that site is “Kenya National Qualifications Database.” The same homepage calls it the National Qualifications Database (NQD), describes it as “the official central digital repository for all qualifications,” and labels it a “Government of Kenya service” that is “Free to search the register.”
On a count of the official “Registered QABs” page on 12 November 2026, the category list printed Foreign QAB 7, National Assessment & Examination Body (NABE) 2, National Polytechnic 33, Professional Examination Body 3, Specialized Education Institution 12 and University 24, which adds up to 81 awarding bodies. The “Registered Qualifications” search on the same day offered 81 unique awarding-body names in its official drop-down, matching that total. This guide does not paste the names. A later official register would supersede those counts.
On this page
In this guide
What the National Qualifications Database is
The NQD homepage, checked on 12 November 2026, says it is maintained by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority and is “Kenya’s official record of qualifications — the bodies that award them, the qualifications on the KNQF and the graduates who earn them.” It places qualifications on the Kenya National Qualifications Framework at official levels 1 to 10. Awarding bodies are called Qualification Awarding Bodies, or QABs.
The public search is not the same as an application. “Registration of QABs” and “Registration of Qualifications” are how an institution applies to be listed. “Graduate Records” is listed as a separate official service. “Verification of Qualifications” is also listed, with the official note that “Employers and institutions confirm a certificate against the national record.” On 12 November 2026, opening nqd.knqa.go.ke/verify-certificates/ sent the browser to the NQD sign-in page, which asks for an e-mail address and password for an NQD account. This guide does not treat certificate verification as a no-login public search.
How to search the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya
To search the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya, open nqd.knqa.go.ke and use the public registers, not the application forms.
To check whether a body is registered to award qualifications, open nqd.knqa.go.ke/registered-qais/, headed “Registered QABs.” The official instruction on that page, checked on 12 November 2026, is: “Search the Qualification Awarding Bodies registered by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority.” It tells you to “Choose a category to list the QABs registered under it,” and it provides a Category list plus quick buttons for each official type, including “All categories.”
To look up a qualification, open nqd.knqa.go.ke/registered-qualifications/, headed “Registered Qualifications.” The official instruction is: “Look up a qualification registered on the Kenya National Qualifications Framework by title, awarding body or institution type.” The official note under “Find a qualification” says: “Every field is optional, but use at least one.” The qualification-title box, checked the same day, has the placeholder “e.g. Diploma in Nursing.” You can also choose an institution type or an awarding body from the official lists and search.
A separate official page at knqa.go.ke/registered-institutions-and-qualifications/, headed “Registered Institutions & Qualifications,” also publishes institution tables. Use that page as well as the live NQD. They are both official, and they are not the same list, as the counts below show.
What the November 2026 count includes, and what it omits
The counts below are from the official NQD pages and the official Registered Institutions & Qualifications page as served on 12 November 2026, not from a media republication and not from a Business Radar tool. They are the current official snapshot of the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya on those pages. This guide does not paste institution names, qualification titles or certificate serial numbers.
On the NQD “Registered QABs” page, the official category counts added up to 81 awarding bodies: Foreign QAB 7, NABE 2, National Polytechnic 33, Professional Examination Body 3, Specialized Education Institution 12 and University 24. The qualifications-search awarding-body list had 81 unique names, the same official total. This guide does not invent a later headcount from a “Loading registered QABs…” message; it uses those printed category totals and the official drop-down count.
On the knqa.go.ke “Registered Institutions and Qualifications” tables, checked the same day, there were 67 unique institution-code rows and 67 unique institution names, with no duplicate codes. The official “Number of Qualifications” column summed to 1,816. That column was printed as 0 on 31 rows and as a positive number on 36 rows. This guide does not invent a reason for an official zero, and it does not treat 67 as a substitute for the NQD’s 81, or 1,816 as a live NQD qualifications total. The accreditation-date cells on that page also use more than one official date format; those typographical variants are disclosed, not corrected.
This snapshot does not include a public qualifications-total on the NQD search form itself, a KNQF-level-by-level headcount, or a graduate-records total. The “Aligned and Validated Qualifications” item in the NQD menu, checked on 12 November 2026, was not a working public list URL. Do not treat a missing search result as proof that a later official row does not exist; search again on the live NQD.
How this sits with KUCCPS points and a TSC number
Searching the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya tells you whether an awarding body or a qualification title currently appears on the official NQD, or on the Authority’s registered-institutions page. It does not tell you the KUCCPS cut-off points for a degree programme. For those official placement points, use the published KUCCPS cut-off points guide.
It also does not tell you whether a classroom teacher has a Teachers Service Commission number. That is a different official register, covered in the published guide to getting a TSC number. A listed qualification and a current teaching registration are two different official questions.
What to do if the qualification is missing
If the title or awarding body you were given does not appear in the official NQD search, check the exact qualification title, try the awarding-body list rather than a campus trading name, and search again on the live database. A later official row would supersede the 12 November 2026 count. If you need a certificate checked against the national record, use the official verification service and be prepared to sign in, as the 12 November 2026 verify link required an NQD account.
If it is still missing, treat the live NQD as the current public record and use the Authority’s own site to ask for the current entry. Include the exact qualification title, the awarding body as printed on the certificate, the date you searched, and a copy of the certificate you were shown. The register answers a narrow question about the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya: is this body or title on the current official database? It does not, on its own, replace a KUCCPS choice or approve a job offer.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official KNQA qualifications database in Kenya?
On the National Qualifications Database at nqd.knqa.go.ke, checked on 12 November 2026, an official service of the Kenya National Qualifications Authority. Public search pages include Registered QABs at nqd.knqa.go.ke/registered-qais/ and Registered Qualifications at nqd.knqa.go.ke/registered-qualifications/. A separate official institutions table is at knqa.go.ke/registered-institutions-and-qualifications/.
How many awarding bodies are on the database?
On a count of the official NQD Registered QABs category totals on 12 November 2026, there were 81 awarding bodies. The Registered Qualifications awarding-body list had the same official total of 81 unique names. A separate official institutions page the same day had 67 unique institution-code rows. Those are different official lists.
Can I verify a certificate without an account?
The NQD homepage offers “Verification of Qualifications.” On 12 November 2026, that verify link opened the NQD sign-in page and asked for an e-mail address and password for an NQD account. Public search of registered QABs and registered qualifications did not require a login on that day.
Is a KUCCPS course the same as a KNQF listing?
No. A search of the KNQA qualifications database in Kenya tells you whether a qualification is on the official NQD or the Authority’s registered-institutions tables. KUCCPS cut-off points are a different official placement record. Use both when both questions matter.
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