Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok on Wednesday chaired a consultative meeting with teachers’ unions and head teachers’ associations at Jogoo House, Nairobi, as preparations intensified for a high-level dialogue with President William Ruto this weekend.
The two-hour session brought together senior officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) and the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA).
The meeting focused on finalising the agenda and confirming the composition of the 10,000-member delegation that will meet the president at State House on Saturday. Delegates will include 3,300 from KNUT, 2,000 from KUPPET, 400 from KUSNET, 2,300 from KEPSHA and 2,000 from KESSHA.
Officials familiar with the discussions said the unions agreed to present a unified position on welfare, remuneration and working conditions, while also signalling readiness to engage with the government’s wider education reform agenda.
Saturday’s meeting is being closely watched, given tensions in the sector over teacher shortages, delayed promotions and the impact of recent funding pressures on schools. Unions are also expected to raise concerns about safety in learning institutions and the need for better infrastructure in marginalised counties.
Mr Bitok described the preparations as “a critical step towards ensuring teachers’ voices are clearly heard at the highest level.” He added that the government views teachers as “central partners in the success of education reforms.”
President Ruto is expected to use the forum to outline his administration’s priorities for basic and secondary education, and to rally teachers behind ongoing curriculum changes and digital learning initiatives.
The State House dialogue marks one of the largest direct engagements between the presidency and the teaching fraternity in recent years.
