Wamuzi News Ke
In a sharp escalation, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has issued a nationwide strike warning, pressing the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to honour the newly agreed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which promised substantial salary hikes for educators.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu declared that unless TSC begins implementing the Sh33 billion pay deal—signed on July 18 and covering 2025–2029—teachers across public schools will down tools.
The agreement aimed to boost salaries by nearly 30 percent for entry-level teachers and up to 5 percent for top earners such as Grade D5.Oyuu accused TSC of failing to take immediate steps to roll out the new pay structure, including ensuring revised pay slips reflect the increases before the end of July.
“Our members have shown patience. Now we demand action—or face disruptions in classrooms nationwide,” he warned. The warning arrives just one day after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced plans to cancel free primary and secondary education, citing tight public finances.
He disclosed that the capitation grant for secondary schools would fall from Sh22,244 to Sh16,900 per pupil, raising alarm over teachers’ morale. KNUT insists the government must honour its side of the deal.
Its demands include adherence to both monetary and non-monetary terms, rejecting any attempt to revert to the “non-cash” deal of prior years. The union has been pushing a 60 percent basic pay increase and a 30 percent uplift in allowances, including commuter, hardship, and housing pay.
The commission’s inaction comes despite formal invitations extended to KNUT for CBA negotiations. The scheduled talks on July 1 collapsed after TSC failed to present a substantive counter-offer. KNUT alleges the commission is stalling, hiding behind undefined advisory promises from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. If no progress is made, KNUT vows to mobilize over 300,000 public school teachers to strike beginning Monday, July 7.
UNESCO-backed analysts warn that such an outcome would cripple academic schedules just ahead of the new term. With negotiations at a standstill and public schools’ funding facing cuts, educators and parents now brace for a showdown that could test Kenya’s resolve to balance fiscal restraint with fair compensation.
