NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s 2026 national examinations are facing a serious threat of disruption after the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) ordered its members to boycott invigilation and marking duties — and the clock is ticking.
The union issued the directive on Friday, May 22, citing the government’s failure to clear Sh1.5 billion owed to teachers for services they delivered during the 2025 national examination cycle. KUPPET says teachers have now waited for more than a year for compensation they were promised, and enough is enough.
“Teachers have rendered their services, and it is a violation of labour rights to keep them waiting for over a year for their pay,” said KUPPET National Chairperson Omboko Milemba.
The boycott will remain in force, the union says, until every shilling of the arrears reflects in teachers’ accounts. The directive covers invigilation, supervision, and marking — the very functions that make national examinations possible.
What makes the situation worse is that no one in government seems willing to take responsibility for clearing the debt. Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok had earlier assured teachers that the arrears would be paid before the end of May, following consultations with President William Ruto. But Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi quickly poured cold water on that assurance, insisting that all funds approved by Parliament for the education sector had already been disbursed to the Ministry of Education.
“Regarding the disbursement of funds meant for the national examination council, teachers should ask the Ministry of Education. We already disbursed what Parliament approved for the education sector,” Mbadi said. “If it is inadequate to pay the KNEC contracting professionals, then there is no additional allocation for it.”
The buck-passing has left teachers furious — especially after reports emerged that Sh9.9 billion has already been released for the 2026 examinations, yet classroom teachers who worked the 2025 exams remain unpaid. According to KUPPET, other contracted personnel — including supervisors, TVET examiners, drivers, and security staff — have already received their payments, leaving classroom teachers at the back of the queue.
For Milemba, the message is firm and non-negotiable.
“Until a clear consensus is reached and the money is in their accounts, there will be no invigilation or marking of this year’s exams,” he said.
With the end of May deadline approaching and the 2026 exam cycle drawing closer, the standoff puts hundreds of thousands of candidates at risk of a disrupted examination calendar. The government must now move swiftly to resolve the dispute — or face a crisis in an education system that can ill afford one.
Teachers, who sacrificed weekends and personal time to ensure last year’s exams ran smoothly, say they are not asking for a favour. They are asking to be paid for work already done.
