Teachers serving in arid and semi-arid lands (Asal) have begun the process of forming their own trade union to address long-standing grievances they say are overlooked by existing teacher unions.
In a formal application to the Registrar of Trade Unions, the tutors, through Anthony Mabonga and Mohamed Muhumed, have sought a Promotion Certificate for the establishment of the Kenya Union for Asal Teachers (Kuat).
According to the application, the proposed breakaway union will represent educators working in counties classified by the government as Asal regions, including Turkana, Mandera, Marsabit, Garissa, Wajir, Isiolo, Samburu, Baringo, Tana River, West Pokot and Kitui.
The scope will also extend to any other counties and sub-counties designated by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) as Asal.
“The attached application seeks a Promotion Certificate for the formation of the Kenya Union for Asal Teachers (Kuat), a proposed trade union that will represent teachers serving in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (Asal) counties across Kenya,” reads part of the application letter dated August 8.
The letter further states: “Promoters have also enclosed a supporting justification document demonstrating that the intended membership constitutes a distinct and unrepresented sector within the teaching profession.”
The teachers argue that while current unions represent broad categories of educators, none has a constitutionally enshrined mandate to advocate exclusively for the interests of Asal-based teachers, who operate under unique and often difficult conditions.
Existing unions include the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya National Union of Private School Teachers and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).
Knut officials address journalists at the Union’s headquarters in Nairobi on August 25, 2024 .
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“Existing teacher unions primarily represent teachers based on general employment categories — primary, secondary, special needs, or post-secondary — and none have a constitutionally enshrined mandate exclusively for teachers in Asal areas,” reads the application, filed through S and K Advocates LLP.
The application cites security risks, extreme climatic conditions and the need for specialised professional support as some of the challenges that require targeted advocacy.
It further notes that issues such as security allowances, risk insurance, hardship benefits and tailored professional development have not been prioritised in the broader unions’ agendas.
The teachers have submitted the required documentation — including copies of national identification cards, a draft union constitution and a sector representation outline — and urged the registrar to process the application and issue the certificate within the 30-day legal timeframe stipulated in the Labour Relations Act, 2007.
Last month, Asal-based teachers sued the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) at the Employment and Labour Relations Court, accusing it of discriminatory and opaque promotion practices.
The educators sought to block the TSC from implementing a controversial decision they claim excludes them from the current promotion cycle that began early this year.
The Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association (Kethawa) alleged that the TSC violated the rights of about 1,864 teachers serving in hardship regions by arbitrarily leaving them out of the 2024–2025 promotion list.
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers Chairman Omboko Milemba (left), Secretary-General Akelo Misori and National Vice Chairman Julius Korir (right) and other officials during the National Governing Council meeting in Nairobi on July 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
They claimed the affected teachers, drawn from Samburu, Marsabit, Garissa, Isiolo, Wajir, Lamu, Turkana, Mandera and Tana River counties, were part of more than 25,000 promotions announced in January this year.
The association warned that the exclusion could cause irreparable harm, including low morale, disruption of public services in hardship areas, and potential industrial unrest in the affected regions.
