Thousands of teachers and examination officials who supervised and marked the 2025 national examinations could finally receive their long-awaited payments after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that he would seek approval for the release of Sh1.5 billion to settle the outstanding dues.
Speaking on Saturday, May 30, 2026, during a KUPPET thanksgiving ceremony in Homa Bay County, Mbadi signalled a major shift in the government’s position on the contentious payments that have triggered months of frustration among teachers, examination supervisors, invigilators, and KNEC-contracted professionals.
“Am going to tell the President to approve KSh1.5 billion for payment of exam officials, and that money to be paid before the end of this financial year. Tumalizane na hiyo maneno,” Mbadi said.
The announcement comes after weeks of growing pressure from teachers’ unions, which had threatened to boycott the administration of the 2026 national examinations unless the government settled the arrears.
Long-running payment dispute
The dispute dates back to the 2025 national examination cycle, where thousands of teachers were contracted by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to supervise, invigilate, and mark examinations.
Although other categories of contracted personnel, including supervisors, drivers, security officers, and some TVET examination officials, reportedly received their payments, many classroom teachers remained unpaid months later.
The delays sparked widespread anger within the teaching profession, with many teachers accusing the government of exploiting their services while failing to honour financial obligations.
By February 2026, the Ministry of Education (MoE) had already acknowledged the delays, attributing them to budgetary and cash-flow challenges affecting the release of funds.
Bitok assurances
On May 5, 2026, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok attempted to calm growing tensions by assuring teachers that the government was working to resolve the matter.
Speaking in Uasin Gishu County, Bitok disclosed that the issue had been escalated to President William Ruto and promised that teachers would be paid before the end of May.
“I went to the State House to request the support of President William Ruto on teachers’ payments. He called the Treasury, directing them to provide money for the payment of teachers as soon as possible,” Bitok said.
However, hopes of immediate payment suffered a setback on May 14 when CS Mbadi publicly stated that the National Treasury would not release any additional money beyond what Parliament had already approved for the MoE.
“If it is inadequate to pay the KNEC contracted professionals, there is no additional allocation since we already disbursed what Parliament approved,” Mbadi said at the time.
His remarks triggered confusion among teachers, with many questioning whether they would ever receive their dues.
KUPPET threatens
The payment delays eventually escalated into a national labour dispute.
On May 21 and May 22, KUPPET officials announced that teachers would boycott invigilation, supervision, and marking of the 2026 national examinations unless the government settled the Sh1.5 billion arrears.
KUPPET National Chairperson Omboko Milemba described the prolonged delay as a violation of labour rights, insisting that teachers should not continue offering examination services without compensation.
The union argued that teachers had waited for more than a year despite fully delivering their responsibilities during the 2025 examination cycle.
The boycott threat raised fears of disruption to the 2026 examination calendar, placing additional pressure on the government to resolve the standoff before preparations for national examinations intensified.
Relief for teachers
Mbadi’s latest remarks now appear to signal a compromise between the Treasury and education stakeholders.
If approved and released before the close of the 2025/2026 financial year on June 30, the Sh1.5 billion allocation would settle one of the most contentious disputes involving teachers and KNEC in recent years.
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The move is also expected to ease tensions between the government and teachers’ unions, which have repeatedly complained about delayed payments, capitation challenges, and growing pressure on educators within the education sector.
For thousands of teachers who have spent months waiting for compensation, Mbadi’s promise represents the clearest indication yet that the long-running payment standoff could finally be coming to an end.
By Joseph Mambili
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