Kenya National Examinations Council has cleared the air on claims that teachers who walked out of the CRE marking session will no longer be examiners.
A Knec official who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity said the examiners were on contract.
The Paper 1 examiners staged a standoff at St Francis Mang'u on Tuesday demanding better pay and improved services.
“We will do investigations as a council, and everything will follow due process,” the source said.
This comes even as the council quickly stepped in to fix the situation.
“Within the contract, they have their obligations and we have ours. In any contract an individual has the option to opt out,” he said.
The official questioned the motive behind the walkout saying the contract signed was very clear.
By the time the teachers downloaded their calling letters in December 2022, they were aware of the marking rates.
"We take in the teachers as contractual professionals to mark national exams, and they knew the rates we give them," he added.
The agreement signed by the teachers includes the amount to be paid, the duties of the teachers, the length of the contract, and Knec’s role.
In an official statement on Tuesday, Knec declined to meet the demands made by the CRE Paper 1 teachers.
A statement by KNEC chairman Julius Nyabundi clarified that the initial agreement cannot be adjusted midway.
“Since the issue of the examiner’s marking fee is an individual contract, and agreed to before reporting to a centre, the council found it impossible to find an extra budget to revise the rates midway,” Nyabundi said.
The council asked teachers who wished to proceed to mark the papers to stay.
Those who did not wish to proceed were allowed to clear from the school premises.
