Teachers who took part in the supervision, invigilation and marking of national examinations are finally set to receive their delayed payments after Parliament approved Sh1.5 billion to settle outstanding arrears tied to the 2025 exam cycle.
The approval was made on Thursday during the consideration of the Second Supplementary Budget, paving the way for settlement of money owed to educators who handled the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) exams.
The decision brings relief to thousands of teachers who have spent months waiting for payment despite completing their examination duties across the country.
The delay had created growing dissatisfaction among teachers and their unions, with pressure mounting on the government after threats of industrial action emerged from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), which warned of a possible boycott of future exam duties.
Earlier, Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson Sam Atandi confirmed that the supplementary budget had included funds meant to address the backlog in payments to teachers involved in exam administration.
“In these supplementary estimates, we have Sh1.5 billion, which is going to be used to sort out the arrears of teachers who supported the invigilation process when our students were doing exams,” he stated.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi had also given assurances that the pending payments would be cleared before the end of the financial year.
He made the commitment during discussions with Kuppet officials in Homa Bay on May 31.
With Parliament’s approval now secured, the Ministry of Education and relevant examination agencies are expected to begin processing the payments, with teachers likely to start receiving their dues in the coming days.
The move is expected to calm tensions within the teaching fraternity and restore confidence ahead of the next examination cycle, where teachers remain central to the credibility and smooth running of national assessments.
Last month, Kuppet issued a directive instructing its members to boycott invigilation and marking duties for the 2026 national examinations due to the delayed payments.
The union’s National Chairperson Omboko Milemba issued the directive on May 22, stating that teachers could no longer continue offering services without timely compensation.
“Teachers have rendered their services, and it is a violation of labour rights to keep them waiting for over a year for their pay,” he said.