The teachers, who participated as invigilators, supervisors, examiners, drivers, and security personnel, say they have waited for about five months since the exercise ended without receiving their allowances.
The large-scale exercise involved more than 3.4 million candidates across KCSE, KPSEA, and KJSEA, making it one of the biggest examination seasons in Kenya’s history. To manage it, KNEC engaged over 342,000 contracted professionals.
Despite the magnitude of the exercise, payment delays have persisted due to funding challenges. Parliament initially allocated Sh5.9 billion against a required Sh12.58 billion, leaving a major deficit that was later partially covered by an additional Sh3.1 billion from the National Treasury.
However, about 45,000 KCSE and KJSEA examiners are still owed approximately Sh2.7 billion, with the delays extending into April and sparking growing anger among educators.
The Ministry of Education previously acknowledged the issue, with Education CS Julius Ogamba attributing the delays to budgetary and cash flow constraints, while assuring that payments would be prioritized once funds are released.
Lawmakers have also raised concern, with Emuhaya MP and KUPPET chairperson Omboko Milemba questioning the prolonged delays and warning that the situation is affecting livelihoods and morale among teachers who performed national duty.
Teachers have intensified their demands following the recent supplementary budget signed by President William Ruto, which increased education funding but reportedly left out KNEC, further fueling frustration among unpaid examiners.
Meanwhile, KNEC has also moved to dismiss circulating online claims suggesting financial collapse or internal data issues, warning the public against misinformation and fake statements attributed to its leadership.
The council insists it is working to clear all pending payments and resolve the matter as soon as possible, while urging affected personnel to remain patient as efforts to secure funds continue.
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Education