Thousands of teachers who marked the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) exams have started receiving their pending payments after the government released funds to clear the outstanding arrears.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 9, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) had transferred the remaining marking allowances to examiners' respective bank accounts.
The payments come after the National Treasury released Ksh1.5 billion on July 7 to settle unpaid allowances owed to teachers and other professionals engaged during the 2025 national examinations.
"We are pleased to inform all examiners who participated in the marking of the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination that the balance of their marking allowances has been disbursed to their respective accounts by the Kenya National Examinations Council," Ogamba said in a statement seen by Vantage Ke.
The payout ends months of uncertainty for thousands of teachers who had waited nearly seven months for their allowances despite repeated government assurances that the funds would be released.
Earlier this week, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the Ksh1.5 billion had been released to the Ministry of Education, saying the government had honoured a commitment he had made to members of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
Mbadi said the allocation was specifically meant to clear the pending arrears, putting to rest concerns over whether the Treasury would fulfil its earlier pledge after previous promises failed to materialise.
The delays had triggered dissatisfaction among teachers, with KUPPET at one point instructing its members to boycott the supervision and marking of the 2026 national examinations until the outstanding payments were made.
The matter also attracted intervention from senior government officials, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who assured teachers that the allowances would be paid once the necessary funds were available.
Now that the funds have been released and payments are being processed, the latest development is expected to ease tensions between teachers and KNEC as preparations for the 2026 national examinations gather pace.
The announcement comes as KNEC continues recruiting assessors for the 2026 KCSE oral and practical examinations, with eligible secondary school teachers and college tutors required to submit their applications by July 15.
Teachers who have not yet received their allowances have previously been urged by KNEC to verify that their details on the Contracted Professionals (CP2) portal are accurate to prevent payment delays caused by incorrect information.
