National Exams in Jeopardy as Treasury Allocates Zero Shillings for Registration and Invigilation.
Kenya’s education sector is facing a deepening crisis following the revelation of a Ksh.62 billion budget deficit, with the Treasury completely scrapping funds for examination registration and invigilation.
This move threatens to place the burden of financing national examinations on parents, casting doubt over the fate of thousands of candidates.
A report presented to the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education and Research confirmed that the government failed to allocate any budget for the administration of national exams.
The committee chairperson, Julius Melly, questioned the seriousness of such a decision, emphasizing that examinations are not optional undertakings.
Similarly, Nyamira Woman Representative Jerusha Momanyi expressed concern, suggesting that Treasury might be indirectly telling parents to start paying examination fees themselves.
When summoned to explain the matter, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok and Budget Officer Nehemiah Odera struggled to justify the complete removal of the examination budget.
PS Bitok indicated that discussions were ongoing with the National Treasury to resolve the issue. However, committee members remained unsatisfied with the explanation, especially given the magnitude of the Ksh.62 billion budget cut.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) had projected an annual requirement of Ksh.12.5 billion for examination and invigilation, but the Budget Policy Statement only acknowledged Ksh.6 billion—none of which was eventually allocated.
Zero Allocations Across Critical Areas
Apart from exams, other key areas in the education sector also faced complete neglect in the budget. The Quality Assurance and Standards department, which had an approved annual requirement of Ksh.600 million, received no funds.
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Similarly, the planned modernization of the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), aimed at centralizing education data management, was left without any allocation.
In a related development, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reported a Ksh.5.7 billion shortfall in its 2025/2026 financial year budget.
National Exams in Jeopardy as Treasury Allocates Zero Shillings for Registration and Invigilation.
