The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has published details of the payment, training and marking arrangements for teachers who will mark the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA). This update explains how much KJSEA examiners will earn, the marking process and the requirements for teachers selected to mark Grade 9 scripts.
Key Takeaways
- Payment: Examiners will receive a basic allowance plus a per-script rate and a daily coordination fee.
- Per-script rate: Teachers will earn Sh. 35 for each script they mark, plus Sh. 1,500 basic allowance.
- Coordination fee: Markers will get Sh. 250 per day labelled as a coordination fee.
- Marking format: Multiple-choice items will use OMR machines; open-ended and creative responses will be marked by teachers.
Overview of KJSEA examiners pay
The main components of the KJSEA examiners pay are straightforward. Each teacher selected to mark KJSEA receives a flat basic amount of Sh. 1,500. On top of this, markers are paid Sh. 35 per script for the number of scripts they handle. In addition, there is a coordination fee of Sh. 250 per day.
The total payment therefore depends on how many scripts an examiner marks and the number of coordinated marking days. KNEC has set the marking timetable to take about two weeks, and results are scheduled for release in December.
How marking will be organised
KNEC will combine automated and teacher-based marking methods. Learning areas that included multiple-choice questions (for example parts of English and Kiswahili) will be processed using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) machines. Papers with open-ended questions, essays and creative tasks will be marked by trained teacher examiners.
The marking exercise will take place at designated marking centres across Nairobi and elsewhere. These include schools assigned by KNEC to host subject-specific marking teams for the two-week period.
KJSEA marking centres and subject allocation
KNEC allocated marking centres by subject to streamline the exercise. Examples of the 2025 allocations include:
- Kiswahili: Moi Girls School, Nairobi
- English: Alliance High School
- Integrated Science: Isinya Girls High School
- Creative Arts and Sports: Alliance High School
- Pre-technical Studies: Pangani Girls High School
These centres handle logistics, supervision and quality assurance during the marking period.
Training, eligibility and fees for examiners
KNEC trained teachers to mark KJSEA earlier in the year. The training blended online modules with residential sessions held during school holidays. Training venues were subject-specific and included teachers’ colleges and secondary schools.
Key eligibility requirements for trainee examiners are:
- Must be a practicing teacher or tutor in the relevant learning area.
- Diploma in Education or higher and at least three years’ teaching experience.
- Registered or employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) or the Public Service Commission.
- Not under interdiction or disciplinary action and recommended by the head of institution.
- Must be 50 years of age or below.
Shortlisted teachers were required to pay a training fee (reported as Kes. 10,500) to access residential and online training materials. After training, qualified examiners were invited to the marking exercise according to the personnel needs for each subject.
Application and selection process
KNEC selected examiners on a first-come, first-served basis from qualified applicants who completed their profiles and uploaded required documents during the application window. Shortlisted candidates received further instructions about training payments and residential sessions by SMS and through the examiners application platform.
Teachers who plan lessons or assessments for Grade 9 can find useful curriculum resources such as the 2025 Grade 9 schemes of work and guidance on the CBC transition for senior secondary school at Kenya’s CBC transition to senior secondary school. For subject planning and materials you can also review the free CBC curriculum designs.
What markers and schools should expect
Markers should prepare for a mix of machine and manual marking. Expect to:
- Receive training refreshers ahead of marking for consistency in scoring.
- Mark open-response and creative tasks according to KNEC rubrics.
- Work in supervised marking centres with clear schedules and quality checks.
- Be paid the basic allowance, per-script rate and daily coordination fee after the exercise.
For Grade 9 learners, KJSEA results will be issued in a report format similar to KPSEA reports and used for placement into Grade 10. KNEC has emphasised that CBC learners will receive a single final certificate only after their Grade 12 assessment, and no separate certificate will be issued at the KJSEA stage.
