The Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) faces a Sh6.7 billion funding shortfall as it prepares to administer this year’s national examinations and assessments.

The funding gap has raised concerns over the smooth running of the exercise, which will involve a record 3.5 million learners.

The council requires Sh16.6 billion to administer this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and School-Based Assessments under the competency-based education (CBE) framework.

However, Knec has been allocated only Sh9.9 billion in the current financial year, leaving a financing gap of Sh6.7 billion.

In recent years, the council has faced funding constraints, resulting in delays in paying examiners, supervisors, invigilators and other contracted personnel, including security officers and drivers.

The funding requirement submitted to the National Assembly Education Committee also includes a Sh2.57 billion pending bill carried forward from the previous financial year, which will be settled as a first charge “once funds become available”.

Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa told the committee that the Ministry of Education would continue seeking additional resources to enable KNEC to effectively administer examinations and assessments.

Read: Why teachers’ delayed payments threaten national exams

“We shall keep coming back to you for additional resources to enable the council to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate, which depends substantially on the adequacy and timeliness of funding for examinations and assessments,” he told the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.

The disclosure came as KNEC announced it had received Sh4.9 billion from the National Treasury on Tuesday to settle payments for invigilators, centre managers, security personnel, drivers and other professionals contracted to administer the 2025 national examinations and assessments.

Read: Knec to print national exams locally, ending decades of outsourcing to Britain

The payments, expected to be completed by Friday, come more than eight months after the examinations were administered, ending months of uncertainty that had fuelled discontent among contracted personnel and raised concerns over possible disruptions to this year’s examinations.

About a month ago, examiners who marked the 2025 national examinations also received their dues after the Treasury released Sh1.5 billion to the Ministry of Education, ending another eight-month wait.

The delayed payments had prompted teachers’ unions to threaten to advise their members against attending KNEC training ahead of this year’s examinations and to discourage participation in invigilation until outstanding dues were cleared.

The unions argued that the delays had affected teachers’ willingness to take up examination duties, noting that in previous years, payments were made shortly after the release of examination results.

“We received Sh4.9 billion today (Tuesday), and by Friday we will have paid all invigilators, centre managers, security personnel, drivers and any other contracted professionals for the 2025 examinations and assessments,” KNEC Chief Executive Dr David Njengere told the committee.

David Njengere — Knec CEO David Njeng'ere at a past event.

Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group

Last year, KNEC engaged 137,110 invigilators for the KPSEA and KJSEA examinations, working under 32,901 centre managers. For the KCSE examinations, the council deployed 54,782 invigilators supervised by 10,754 centre managers across the country.

In the financial year ending June 2026, the State Department for Basic Education had sought Sh12.7 billion to cater for examinations and invigilation but received only Sh5.9 billion.

Of the allocation, Sh3 billion was earmarked for KCSE, Sh900 million for KPSEA and Sh2 billion for KJSEA, while no funds were allocated for School-Based Assessments under the Competency-Based Education curriculum.

The available resources were further reduced after Sh1.03 billion was used to settle pending bills for the 2024 national examinations and assessments.

During the financial year, KNEC received an additional Sh3.1 billion under Article 223 of the Constitution through Supplementary Budget I. A further Sh1.5 billion was approved under Supplementary Budget II, bringing the total allocation to Sh10.5 billion.

After settling the Sh1.03 billion pending bill for 2024 KCSE and KJSEA examiners, the council is carrying forward another Sh2.57 billion pending bill into the current financial year, further straining its ability to finance this year’s examinations.

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