Thousands of teachers who participated in the marking of the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) examinations have started receiving their pending allowances after the government released funds to clear outstanding balances.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced on Thursday, July 9, that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) had disbursed the remaining marking allowances to examiners' respective bank accounts.
The payments follow the release of Ksh1.5 billion by the National Treasury on July 7, with the funds allocated to settle arrears owed to teachers and other professionals contracted 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.
The announcement ends months of uncertainty for thousands of teachers who had waited for nearly seven months to receive their dues despite repeated government assurances that payment would be made.
The delay had caused frustration among educators, with the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) at one point directing members to boycott invigilation and marking of the 2026 national examinations until the outstanding arrears were cleared.
Earlier, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed that the Ksh1.5 billion had been released to the Ministry of Education, saying the government had honoured its commitment to settle the pending payments.
Mbadi said the funds were specifically meant to clear the outstanding examiner allowances, ending uncertainty over whether the Treasury would fulfil its pledge after earlier payment timelines failed to materialise.
The issue had also attracted intervention from senior government officials, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who assured teachers that the payments would be processed once funds were available.
With payments now underway, the move is expected to ease tensions between teachers and KNEC as preparations continue for the 2026 national examinations.
The development comes as KNEC begins the recruitment of assessors for the 2026 KCSE oral and practical examinations, with qualified secondary school teachers and college tutors invited to apply before the July 15 deadline.
Teachers who have not yet received their allowances have been advised to confirm that their details on the Contracted Professionals (CP2) portal are accurate to avoid delays caused by incorrect payment information.