Teachers’ Unions Demand Salary Raise, Threaten Strike
Public schools in Kenya may face significant disruptions as the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) have threatened to strike.
The unions are protesting the government’s failure to implement expected salary increments this month. If the strike goes ahead, it could throw the reopening of schools for the third term into disarray.
On Tuesday, Kuppet announced its support for Knut’s call to boycott work when schools resume.
Kuppet plans to convene its National Governing Council (NGC) to discuss mobilizing for industrial action starting in September.
The union is demanding that the government implement the second phase of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was due to take effect in July.
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Kuppet is also calling for the employment of 20,000 new teachers and the conversion of 46,000 intern teachers into permanent positions with pensionable terms.
They expressed concerns over ongoing reductions in the education budget, despite reports of government waste.
Legal and Financial Concerns
Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu emphasized that the CBA is a legally binding document signed between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Knut in 2021.
He stressed that the National Treasury is fully aware of the agreement and cannot backtrack by failing to provide adequate funding for its implementation.
Last week, Oyuu argued that the Treasury must restore the Sh10 billion cut from the TSC budget, calling the reduction a violation of the CBA and both illegal and immoral.
Teachers are demanding the second phase of the 2.5% to 9% salary increment, as specified in the amended 2021-2025 CBA. The union urged the TSC to ensure the agreement is honored and warned they would pursue legal action if necessary.
The unions reported that teachers received their July salaries without the negotiated and agreed-upon increment, which had been signed and submitted to the industrial and labor relations court.
The government has also reduced Free Day Secondary School (FDSE) capitation funds by 24%, from Sh22,244 per learner per year to Sh17,000.
This reduction comes despite repeated requests from principals and other education stakeholders for an increase in capitation to address high inflation over the past seven years.
Criticism of Government Budget Cuts
Kuppet criticized the government for what they described as the most significant rollback of social spending since independence.
They lamented that the scale of cuts to the education budget is unprecedented. The union drew parallels to the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) imposed on Kenya by the World Bank and IMF in the mid-1980s, noting that even those did not result in the level of budget reductions currently being implemented.
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The union expressed particular concern over the government’s retreat from its commitments to hire 20,000 new teachers and convert 46,000 interns to permanent and pensionable positions.
Summary Table
| Union Demands | Current Issues |
|---|---|
| Implement second phase of 2021-2025 CBA | No salary increment in July |
| Employ 20,000 new teachers | Reduced FDSE capitation funds |
| Convert 46,000 intern teachers to permanent positions | Sh10 billion cut from the TSC budget |
| Restore Sh10 billion to TSC budget | Government retreating from previous commitments |
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