Thousands of teachers who supervised, invigilated and marked the 2025 national examinations are set to receive their long-overdue payments after the National Treasury released Ksh1.5 billion to the Ministry of Education to settle pending arrears.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed that the funds were disbursed on Wednesday, saying the release fulfils a pledge he made to members of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and clears the way for payments to begin.
The announcement brings to an end month of uncertainty for teachers who have waited for nearly seven months to be paid for their services during last year’s national examination period.
Speaking during an interview, Mr Mbadi said the Treasury had honoured its commitment and that the Ministry of Education now has the resources needed to process the payments.
“Ksh1.5 billion was released today to the Ministry of Education to pay the arrears. I made that promise while I was in Homa Bay addressing KUPPET. That is sorted, they will get their money now,” he said.
The delayed payments had sparked growing discontent among teachers, many of whom questioned the government’s commitment after several earlier promises failed to translate into actual disbursements.
Although the government had repeatedly assured teachers that the funds had been allocated, the prolonged wait fuelled frustration among contracted professionals engaged by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to administer and mark national examinations.
The issue also became a source of concern within the education sector as unions warned that the delays could disrupt future examinations if not resolved.
Over the past several months, senior government officials, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and former Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, publicly assured teachers that the outstanding payments would be settled.
However, the assurances did little to ease concerns as the arrears remained unpaid.
In protest, KUPPET directed its members to boycott the invigilation and marking of the 2026 national examinations until all pending dues from the 2025 examination cycle were cleared.
The union argued that teachers could not continue undertaking examination duties without timely compensation, warning that delayed payments were affecting morale and eroding confidence in the management of national examinations.
Mr Mbadi’s confirmation is expected to ease tensions between teachers, KNEC and the government, paving the way for preparations for the 2026 national examinations.
With the funds now released, attention shifts to the Ministry of Education and KNEC, which are expected to begin processing payments to eligible teachers in the coming days.
To facilitate a smooth payment process, KNEC has advised all contracted professionals to verify and update their details on the Contracted Professionals (CP2) portal.
The council said that outdated or inaccurate personal and banking information could delay payment processing, urging teachers to ensure their records are up to date.
The release of the funds comes as KNEC intensifies preparations for the 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
The examinations council has already begun recruiting assessors for the oral and practical components of the 2026 KCSE, inviting qualified secondary school teachers and college tutors to apply through the CP2 portal. Interested applicants have until July 15 to apply.
The settlement of the outstanding arrears is expected to restore confidence among teachers and remove a major obstacle that had threatened the smooth administration of next year’s national examination.
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