Strengthening the quality of qualification awarding systems hinges on the crucial role played by KNQA in developing national policies and standards. Through initiatives covering assessment, certification, national occupational standards, curriculum development, and quality assurance, KNQA ensures that qualifications in Kenya adhere to established benchmarks. This alignment not only fosters comparability at the national level but also enhances recognition regionally and globally, bolstering the credibility and acceptance of Kenyan qualifications on the international stage.

Roles of SAQA department in implementation of the KNQF

1.Strengthen quality assurance systems for national qualifications

Strengthening quality and relevance is one of KNQA’s key functions. It entails setting of national policies and standards to guide quality assurance, monitoring & evaluation, assessments and certification of qualifications to the KNQF. SAQA department develops National Quality Assurance policies, standards and guidelines of national qualifications to guide and harmonize practices by all QAIs, Professional Examination Boards, education and training sectors, curriculum developers and Assessment bodies in order to achieve quality education that will be internationally recognized

2. Facilitate linkages, credit transfers and exemptions, vertical, horizontal & diagonal mobility at all levels

Kenya Credit Accumulation Transfer system (KCATs) is a mechanism for facilitating access, transferability, comparability, learning mobility, flexible progression, and lifelong learning.

The system comprises KCAT policy, standards, guidelines and tools designed to enable institutions monitor and reward progress, ensuring credit recognition and transferability. It is an overarching framework to guide institutions is ensuring that credits earned at one institution are recognized by another, contributing to meeting requirements for related qualifications hence realization of learner mobility.

3. Co-ordinate and supervise the development of policies on national Qualifications

SAQA department has developed various policies on national qualifications. This includes;

• National Quality Assurance policy
• Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer system policy
• National Policy on development of curriculum of national qualifications
• National policy on development of Occupational Standards

4. Develop a system for assessment of national qualifications

• KNQA has developed a National standard and guidelines for assessment of national qualifications, these standard is approved and implemented by the QAIs and Assessment bodies etc.
• The department is also spearheading the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework will be vital in fast tracking implementation of the KNQF and effectively monitor, report and evaluate the status

5. Publish manuals, codes and guidelines on national qualifications

• Kenya National Qualifications Classification Standards (KNQCS) has been developed to guide all institutions on coding and classification of various fields of Education in line with ISCED.

KNQCS aims at classifying education and training programmes and their related qualifications within Kenya and on an international scale

6. Establish standards for harmonization and recognition of national and foreign qualifications

The following standards are being established;

• Kenya Credit Accumulation and Transfer system standards and guidelines
• National Standard on Quality assurance of national qualifications
• Occupational standards
• Kenya National Qualifications Classification Standard
• National standards on Assessment of National Qualifications
• Standard for developing a national Curriculum