A fresh dispute has emerged between teachers and the government after the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) threatened to withdraw its members from key duties during the 2026 national examinations over unpaid allowances from the previous examination cycle.
The union says many teachers who took part in invigilation and supervision during the 2025 national examinations have not received their payments despite assurances that the funds had already been released.
KNUT officials, speaking in Laikipia West Constituency on Saturday, July 26, expressed frustration over the continued delay and warned that teachers could boycott examination-related duties next year if the issue is not resolved.
According to the union, the National Treasury had already released Ksh1.5 billion to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to facilitate the payments. However, teachers who carried out invigilation and supervision duties say they are still waiting for the money to reach their accounts.Union leaders questioned why teachers continue to go unpaid despite public statements from government officials confirming that the funds were available.
They argued that educators fulfilled their responsibilities during the examinations and should not be forced to wait indefinitely for compensation that was earned months ago.
KNUT officials insisted that payment of the outstanding allowances must be prioritized before preparations for the 2026 examination cycle proceed.
They warned that if the matter remains unresolved, teachers may refuse to participate in invigilation, supervision, and other examination duties next year.
The union also criticized repeated explanations linking the delays to technical and system-related challenges.
According to KNUT, teachers have repeatedly been told that payment systems experienced problems, yet the delays have persisted for months without a clear resolution.
The standoff comes at a sensitive time as preparations for the 2026 national examinations begin to gather momentum. Any disruption involving teachers could affect the smooth administration of exams across the country, given their central role in supervising and managing examination centers.
The dispute is particularly notable because government officials had earlier indicated that the payment issue had been addressed.
In June, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed that funds had been released and that teachers would begin receiving their allowances.
Weeks later, Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba announced that KNEC had disbursed the balance of marking allowances to examiners who participated in the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
While those announcements appeared to signal the end of a long wait for teachers, KNUT’s latest complaints have raised new concerns about whether all the released funds reached the intended beneficiaries.
The union is now demanding answers and immediate payment before any discussions on the 2026 examinations can move forward.
