A growing number of teachers contracted by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to administer and mark the 2025 KCSE examinations are raising alarm over what they describe as an unprecedented delay in the payment of their dues. The affected professionals say they have gone for more than eight months without compensation, despite successfully completing one of the country's most critical national assignments.
The delayed payments affect not only KCSE examiners but also supervisors, invigilators, security officers and drivers who were engaged during the examination period. Many of them say they have been forced into financial hardship as they continue waiting for money they expected shortly after the examinations concluded in October 2025.
What has frustrated the contracted professionals even more, they say, is the series of public assurances from senior government officials that payment was imminent.
From statements by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Sam Atandi, they claim the promises have yet to translate into actual payments, leaving thousands wondering when—or if—they will receive their earnings.
One of the affected examiners, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation, shared the following account:
Hello Cyprian,
I am a KCSE examiner and have been marking national examinations for many years. Never in my entire marking history has the government delayed paying contracted professionals the way it has this time. Sadly, the payment of KNEC-contracted personnel now appears to have become a campaign tool instead of a priority.
The promises began when CS Julius Ogamba, while speaking on a Kisii local radio station ahead of the President's visit, assured us that the issue would be addressed. Later, PS Julius Bitok publicly stated that he would call the President and that the money would be released the following week. We waited patiently, but nothing happened.
Thereafter, Treasury CS John Mbadi said that the funds had already been released to the Ministry of Education and that teachers should seek answers from the ministry. Supplementary Budget I was passed, yet there was still no allocation for our payments. During the Budget Statement, the Treasury again emphasized that the education sector had received the biggest allocation since Independence. More recently, during an event in Siaya, National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair Sam Atandi said he had proposed the allocation and that Supplementary Budget II had been approved and signed into law by the President.
Our question is simple: where is the money?
What happened to the payments meant for the drivers, security officers, supervisors, invigilators and examiners who faithfully carried out the 2025 KCSE examinations? Is it fair that we have worked from October 2025 and are still waiting for payment in June 2026?
We have remained patient for months, but our patience is running out. Some of our colleagues who dedicated themselves to this national assignment have since passed away before receiving the money they earned. It is heartbreaking that teachers who served their country with commitment have not been paid.
Kindly highlight our plight. We are simply asking the government to honour its obligation and pay all KNEC-contracted professionals without any further delay.
Concerned Teacher