Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has at last spoken about the delayed payment of teachers and other professionals who were employed during the last year’s national exams.
In a press release issued today, the CS acknowledged that several supervisors, invigilators, examiners, and security officers who assisted in the administration and marking of the 2025 national exams have yet to be paid their allowances.
The affected individuals were part of the marking of crucial exams across the country, including the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
For the last few weeks, some of these teachers and exam markers have been complaining about the delayed payment, citing the need to settle some bills and feed their families. Some teachers have been quoted as saying the situation is frustrating, particularly because it is not the first time the government has delayed in making the payments.
According to the CS, the government has been faced with financial constraints, which have slowed down the disbursement of the funds.
“The Ministry, together with the National Treasury, is working to resolve the matter and ensure that the funds are released as soon as possible,” he said.
He assured the officials conducting the exams that the government appreciates the role they play in ensuring that the exams are conducted smoothly and in a fair manner across the country.
The CS also thanked them for their patience and professionalism, even as they wait to be paid.
However, there are those who are arguing that this is not just a matter for this year, as there are still some arrears from previous years that are yet to be cleared. Others are arguing that the amount they are being paid does not reflect the amount of work involved in conducting and supervising the exams.
It has therefore been proposed that there is a need to change the way the Kenya National Examinations Council pays those conducting the exams, as this has to be improved to avoid this same issue happening every year.
As the two bodies, the Education Ministry and the Treasury, try to resolve this issue, there are thousands of people across the country who are waiting to be paid.
