The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), demanding the immediate commencement of talks on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or risk a nationwide teachers’ strike.
KUPPET officials, led by Secretary General Akello Misori, said Friday that the union had formally notified Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua after TSC allegedly failed to respond to correspondence regarding the proposed CBA. The current CBA, signed on July 13, 2021, expires on June 30, 2025, and KUPPET insists that negotiations for the next four-year agreement, covering 2025 to 2029, must begin now.
“We have already written to the Cabinet Secretary for Labour to register a trade dispute with our employer. If nothing is done within seven days, we will mobilize teachers to withdraw labour, go on strike, and stage demonstrations,” warned Misori during a press briefing in Kakamega.
In its proposed CBA, KUPPET is pushing for substantial financial enhancements, including a 50% basic salary increase for teachers in higher job groups and a 100% rise for those in lower cadres. It also demands:
- 20% increment on harmonized house allowances,
- 200–250% increase in commuter allowances,
- 100% increase in hardship allowances, and
- Introduction of a hazardous allowance at 20% of basic pay.
Misori also called for new provisions for daily subsistence for teachers involved in co-curricular activities, one month’s basic salary as leave allowance (replacing the current flat-rate model), and structured overtime and risk allowances, especially for educators in insecure, banditry-prone areas.
KUPPET Chairperson and Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba backed the ultimatum and urged TSC, the Ministry of Labour, and the National Assembly Education Committee to act swiftly.
Milemba also opposed any move to scrap the national examination fee subsidy, warning it would violate the Constitution. “Exams are integral to basic education, which Article 53 of the Constitution guarantees as free and compulsory. Removing the fee would undermine this right,” he stated.
With growing concerns over teacher welfare and looming threats of industrial action, KUPPET’s demands have placed significant pressure on the government and TSC to avert a crisis in the education sector.
Written By Rodney Mbua
