KNUT Threatens to Boycott National Exams Over Delayed KNEC Allowances
They called on the government to establish a reliable, comprehensive health cover commensurate with teachers’ service.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Linda Olendo
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has threatened to boycott supervision and invigilation of this year’s national examinations over delayed compensation by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
The union said thousands of teachers who served as supervisors, invigilators and centre managers during the 2024 and 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) examinations are yet to be paid, despite the government announcing the release of funds.
KNUT national Chairman Dr. Patrick Karinga Munuhe, flanked by officials Michael Muna and George Gatundu, said the continued delay was demoralizing teachers and could paralyze the forthcoming 2026 national examinations scheduled for October and November.
Speaking at Gatero village in Laikipia West Constituency during the funeral service of KNUT member and teacher from Nyandarua South, Lucy Wambui Maina, who succumbed after a long illness, the officials said teachers had been pushed to the wall.
“The government says it released money but teachers on the ground have not seen it. You cannot expect teachers to work without pay from last year October to date and still show up again this year,” said Dr. Munuhe.
The government has allocated Ksh.1.5 billion to settle pending dues for contracted professionals. However, KNEC says payments remain pending for many due to ongoing verifications on the KNEC Contracted Professionals CP2 System, a platform introduced to weed out ghost workers and streamline payments.
The explanation has not gone down well with teachers. In Eldoret, KNUT grassroots officials led by Rift Valley KNUT Chairman John Koech and Keiyo Executive Secretary Anthony Kimurto said their members will not take part in the 2026 examinations unless all arrears are cleared.
“We will not invigilate the examinations because imagine you work without pay from last year October to date. They owe us and they should pay,” said Koech.
Kimurto accused some government officials of not valuing the education sector, adding that teachers were being taken for granted despite their critical role in national exams.
“If we are not paid we will not invigilate this year. If we will not get paid then let the chiefs and village elders do that job. I suspect there are some elements in government who did not do their job, they do not see any value of education,” Kimurto said.
Recently, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok and his counterpart John Ololtuaa assured teachers that the Ministry of Education is working closely with the National Treasury to finalise payment arrangements for the remaining 2025 KCSE invigilators and supervisors who are yet to receive their allowances.
“We are aware of the concerns and we are processing the payments. Teachers will receive their dues once verification is complete,” Ololtuaa said last week.
Apart from examination allowances, KNUT officials also took issue with the teachers’ health insurance scheme, claiming that the transition to the Social Health Authority (SHA) has not served teachers as effectively as the previous Minet scheme. They called on the government to establish a reliable, comprehensive health cover commensurate with teachers’ service.
With less than three months to the start of national examinations, stakeholders are calling for a quick resolution to avert disruption of the crucial exercise that involves over 3 million candidates across the country.
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