Treasury CS Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u was fined Sh500,000 by the Senate Committee on Education for missing five invitations over delayed payment of KCSE 2022 examiners.
Members of the Committee have threatened to launch steps to remove the CS from office should he skip subsequent invite in the next seven days.
Last week Ezekiel Machogu, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, assured teachers that the government would begin paying the fees owing to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) examiners for the 2022 tests this week.
Speaking on behalf of the CS, the area MP Gitonga Mukunji announced the first-ever Education Day on Saturday at Kangaru School in Manyatta Constituency, Embu County. Mukunji also said that Ksh. 2 billion had been set aside to ensure that the debts of KNEC examiners, contracted officials, and suppliers are paid in full.
In the future, according to Machogu, his ministry will prioritise paying examiners promptly in order to prevent further delays.
“Walimu wetu ambao tunatumia kuwa examiners katika mitihani yetu ya kitaifa najua tulichelewa kidogo kulipa pesa yao wale walitusaidia national marking ya 2022 lakini sasa kupitia kwa mheshimiwa rais tumepewa billion mbili kutoka next week mimi nitawalipa wote,” he said.
Additionally, CS Machogu stated that as of last week, they had begun paying the Ksh. 2.5 billion in debts owed by the contractors who built the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) classes.
In order to lower the student-teacher ratio, he further stated that the ministry will hire an additional 25,000 instructors this fiscal year, bringing the total to 30,000.
“we have also for the first time in many years been able to employ 36,000 teachers last financial year. This year alone the government will employ 24,000 teachers, a number that we’ve not had for a long time this is because the president is able to recognize that we need to have enough teachers for proper quality teaching to go on,” the Education CS added.