The marking of the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams faces disruption as examiners at marking centres downed tools over unpaid allowances.
At Mary Hill Girls High School, one of 40 official marking centres nationwide, examiners handling English Paper 2 staged demonstrations on Sunday, halting the process.
The teachers claim they have not received the coordination allowance of Sh5,000 each, which was promised upon their arrival on November 30.
“The agreement was that coordination allowances would be paid within five days of our arrival. Three weeks later, nothing has been paid,” said one of the protesting examiners. Others handling Physics and Agriculture reportedly left the centre after failing to receive their dues.
Examiners insisted they will not resume work until full payment is made, highlighting a recurring problem that has affected past KCSE marking exercises in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Many said the delays have caused financial strain as some have had to cover personal expenses while marking.
The strike comes at a critical juncture, with the marking exercise scheduled to conclude on Monday, December 15. Any prolonged disruption could delay the release of results, which the Ministry of Education plans to announce in January 2026.
This year’s KCSE attracted one of the largest cohorts in recent history, with 996,078 candidates, adding pressure to the timely completion of marking.
The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has yet to comment on how the strike will affect the results timeline.
The ongoing dispute underscores long-standing challenges in ensuring timely payment and support for examiners, whose work is central to the integrity of national examinations.
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