Thousands of teachers and examination officials who supervised the 2025 national examinations are set to begin receiving their long-delayed payments this week, after the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) confirmed a firm payment date following months of uncertainty.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education on Tuesday, KNEC Chief Executive Officer David Njengere and Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa confirmed that funds had been released to facilitate payments to invigilators, supervisors and other personnel involved in administering last year’s examinations.
“I informed the Committee that the Ministry has already disbursed the funds to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and payments to examination personnel will commence on Thursday, 6th August 2026,” PS Ololtuaa told the committee.
The pending payments cover personnel who supported the administration of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA).
The announcement comes amid sustained pressure from teachers’ unions over the delays. The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) had repeatedly warned that teachers would boycott the administration of the 2026 national examinations unless all outstanding dues were cleared, a threat that had cast uncertainty over preparations for the upcoming exam cycle.
KUPPET has maintained that thousands of teachers who took part in the 2025 examination process had gone unpaid despite Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirming a month earlier that funds had already been disbursed. The union further claimed that KNEC required an additional Ksh4 billion to fully clear the outstanding allowances owed to examination officials.
Despite the fresh assurances, some teachers have expressed scepticism, noting that similar commitments have been made for more than six months without resolution. Many said they would only be convinced once they received official payment confirmation messages in their accounts.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba separately confirmed that the Ministry had received Ksh1.5 billion to settle the payments, thanking examiners for their patience despite the prolonged delay in disbursing their marking allowances.
With national examinations only months away, the confirmed payment date is expected to ease tensions among examination personnel, though the credibility of the promise will ultimately be tested once payments land in teachers’ accounts on Thursday. The development also comes as the government seeks to avert disruption to the 2026 examination cycle, which relies heavily on the goodwill of thousands of invigilators and supervisors nationwide.
