The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has sounded the alarm over unpaid allowances from the 2025 national examinations, warning that its members may refuse to participate in supervising the 2026 exams unless the government clears the arrears.
The union says the delayed payments, despite assurances from Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, have left teachers feeling ignored and frustrated.
Speaking in Kakamega on Thursday, KNUT Kakamega North Secretary General Shadrack Muyaka criticised the slow pace of payments to exam invigilators, supervisors, and markers, noting that trust between teachers and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has been weakened.
“The teachers of this country need to be paid before we proceed to the next level of doing another exam, because it is not good manners. It is not proper. It is not fair to have not paid our teachers, and we are preparing for another exam,” Muyaka said.
Muyaka warned that if payments are not made, the union will be forced to take industrial action, insisting that teachers must be prioritised before preparations for the next exam cycle continue.
“We are saying if they are not paid, we shall down our tools. We shall withdraw labour so that the teachers of this country are paid first before we go to another exam,” he added.
He traced the conflict to a previous commitment made at Masinde Muliro University, where the Education PS promised that all pending payments would be processed within two weeks. That period ended last Friday without resolution, leaving the union dissatisfied.
“We are giving out an ultimatum because the PS of education said in his own words that two weeks and two weeks elapsed last Friday. And we are now beyond the two weeks he promised us when we were at Masinde Muliro University. So we are not happy, and we are not comfortable,” Muyaka said.
The Ministry of Education has attributed the delays to budgetary and cash flow constraints affecting overall government spending. In a February 12, 2026 statement, shared by Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, the ministry acknowledged the complaints from supervisors, examiners, invigilators, security staff, and other contracted personnel.
While the ministry cited financial limitations, it recognised the concerns raised by those involved in the 2025 national exams as legitimate.
Beyond the payment dispute, KNUT officials also called for improved welfare for teachers, including a comprehensive medical scheme. Muyaka noted that current arrangements force teachers to pay for medical treatment themselves and often face long waits due to systemic delays.
“The teachers of this country need a comprehensive medical cover, a medical cover that will take care of the teacher. Today, teachers are paying out of pocket and can wait for a very long time because of system downtimes. If teachers are to be respected, the government must come up with a comprehensive medical cover for the teachers of this country so that we are also happy,” he said.
Another union member emphasised that long-serving teachers, who have managed sensitive cases over the years, deserve proper treatment and respect from the government.
“Just like any other civil servants, some of us who have stayed long in this union, we know the secrets, and we have gone through many cases, some very sensitive. Serve our teachers like never before, so that by 2026, they will have seen what has been done for them and can consider this in the future,” the member said.