Teachers To Start Receiving 2025 KNEC Invigilation Payments This Week

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has announced that it will begin releasing payments this week to thousands of teachers and education professionals who participated in the administration of the 2025 national examinations and assessments.

The move comes after weeks of mounting concern and public outcry from teachers over delays in receiving their honoraria.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Ogamba, acknowledged the frustrations expressed by teachers across the country regarding the delayed disbursement of their dues. He assured affected professionals that the government recognizes the critical role they play in safeguarding the credibility and integrity of national examinations.

Ogamba explained that the delay in payments had been occasioned by budgetary and cash flow challenges currently affecting the release of funds. According to the CS, the Ministry of Education is working closely with the National Treasury to address the constraints and fast-track the disbursement process.

“We wish to assure all affected professionals that payment remains a priority,” Ogamba said. “The Ministry, in collaboration with the National Treasury, is actively working to resolve the matter and expedite the release of the requisite funds within the shortest time possible.”

Every year, KNEC contracts tens of thousands of professionals to oversee and manage the national examinations exercise. These include centre managers, supervisors, invigilators, examiners, drivers and security personnel who ensure the smooth and secure conduct of the assessments across the country.

In 2025 alone, a total of 77,600 teachers served as centre managers, supervisors and invigilators during the national exams and assessments period.

The teachers were deployed to manage key national assessments, including the Grade 6 Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), the Grade 9 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and the Form Four Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

These examinations are crucial milestones in Kenya’s education system and require extensive coordination, professionalism and vigilance to maintain their credibility.

Although KNEC does not offer a salary or traditional allowance to teachers for invigilating exams, it provides honoraria and reimburses transport expenses once the national examinations have been completed, scripts marked and results officially released.

For 2025, the release of the KPSEA results marked the final stage required before payments to contracted professionals could be processed, clearing the way for disbursements to begin.

Despite these procedures, KNEC has faced annual criticism over delays in settling invigilation dues. Teachers’ unions have repeatedly raised concerns that late payments negatively affect morale and undermine the dedication of educators who sacrifice time and effort to secure the integrity of national assessments.

In November last year, the Secretary-General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Collins Oyuu, publicly warned against further delays. Speaking from Opodo Farm in Bondo during a condolence visit to the Odinga family, Oyuu emphasized that teachers should receive their payments by January and cautioned that any postponement would not be tolerated.

“What they pay to teachers is not even allowance, is not even salary. What they pay is what we call honoraria,” Oyuu stated. “And KNEC has a budget. Our big question is: Why delay paying teachers honoraria after sacrificing to do that work? Invigilating exams is not easy.”

He stressed that exam supervision requires vigilance, integrity and long hours under high-pressure conditions to prevent malpractice and ensure fairness for candidates nationwide. Delayed payments, he argued, demoralize teachers who are entrusted with safeguarding one of the most critical national exercises.

KNEC, for its part, has maintained that payment delays are not always due to funding shortages alone. The Council has cited administrative challenges, including data mismatches and incomplete documentation, as contributing factors

In some instances, errors in personal details submitted through the Contracted Professionals (CP2) system have slowed the verification and processing of payments.

“Delays have in some cases been linked to data mismatches, documentation requirements, such as properly signed and stamped attendance registers, and verification processes necessary for accurate payment disbursement,” KNEC said in a statement. “We urge those affected to confirm that their details in the CP2 system match their official identification and mobile money registration information to facilitate processing.”

The Council emphasized that accurate documentation and alignment of personal details with official identification records are essential to ensure funds are correctly disbursed to the intended recipients.

With the government now pledging to release the pending funds, thousands of teachers across the country are expected to begin receiving their honoraria in the coming days. The development is likely to ease tensions between educators and the examinations body, although calls for a more predictable and timely payment framework remain.

As the national examinations cycle continues to evolve under the competency-based curriculum framework, stakeholders say efficient compensation of contracted professionals will be critical in maintaining confidence in the integrity, reliability and smooth running of Kenya’s national assessments.

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