The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) now wants the government to increase the payment rate for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examiners to Sh 100 for each paper marked.
Currently, the markers are paid differently based on the subjects they are marking.
For example, in Christian Religious Education (CRE), subject examiners are only paid Sh55 for every script, whereas markers in other subjects are paid between Sh60 and 70 per paper.
KUPPET officials recently urged harmonization, which they believe will put a stop to years of disputes among professionals participating in the noble national activity.
The officials who paid an impromptu visit to St Francis Girls High School-Mang’u, a KCSE marking center in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, that was closed on Tuesday evening following examiner protests, were led by Julius Korir, the union’s national vice chairperson, and decried that the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has been violating labor practices by underpaying the evaluators.
“We are agitating for these teachers to be paid Sh100 and above per paper marked. Currently there is no harmony, and this has brought on sustained infighting. “This must come to an end,” stated Korir.
Korir claims that, despite the fact that examiners are required to go through huge volumes of paperwork, the government continues to pay them little.
He revealed that the assessors had been waking up as early as 4 a.m. and not putting down their pens until after 10 p.m., causing them great distress.
Korir called on Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu to convene a conference with key stakeholders in 24 hours after they were thrown out of the Mang’u marking facility by armed police officers who remained on the premises on Tuesday.
Ronald Tanui, KUPPET’s national assistant treasurer, encouraged KNEC to consult with other stakeholders in order to avoid a further crisis.
