Negotiations between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) on Friday ended in a signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) after months of tension.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers officials were still locked up in negotiations by the time of going to the press.
The deal was struck following day-long talks held at the Kenya Institute of Special Education in Kasarani, Nairobi, with union leaders and government representatives agreeing to a 29.6 per cent for the lowest paid teachers and five per cent for the top paid teachers.
But the increase is tiered, not uniform.
“We have managed to get an increment of 5 per cent to 29.6 per cent,” said Akelo Misori, Secretary General of Kuppet after the signing. “Those in the higher job groups will receive 5 per cent, while the lowest-paid teachers will benefit from a 29.6 per cent rise. This award in basic pay has favoured, to a large extent, the ordinary teacher, the one who bears the brunt of the work in schools.”
He said the increment corrects historical imbalances. He recalled that in the 2016–2021 CBA, school administrators, principals, and heads of departments were the biggest beneficiaries, while classroom teachers were left behind. The new agreement shifts the focus back to the base of the teaching pyramid.
Under the deal, the lowest-paid teacher, currently earning around Sh23,000, will see their pay rise to about Sh29,000. The increment will be implemented gradually, with the agreement projecting an annual salary adjustment budget of Sh8.4 billion yearly totaling Sh33 billion at the end of the five-year cycle which ends on June 30, 2029.
While allowances remain largely unchanged, the unions leaders said they agreed on the phasing out of the controversial Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) — a system introduced in 2018 that has faced fierce opposition from teachers over its rigidity, opacity, and punitive nature.
“We have removed career progression, and it will cease to exist from 30 June 2026,” Mr Misori said. “It has been under review and caused unnecessary interdictions. Its removal is a major relief to many.”
Mr Misori acknowledged that the current national budget did not factor in expanded allowances for teachers, but hinted at renewed talks next year to revisit commuter, hardship, and housing allowances, which have remained static despite inflation and growing regional disparities.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akello Misori addresses the media following the conclusion of the Annual Delegates Conference in Vihiga on December 20.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
The newly signed CBA covers the period July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029, but implementation begins immediately, with teachers expected to see revised paychecks by the end of July 2025.
The negotiations began at 11am for the Kusnet leaders and ended at 1pm while Kuppet negotiations lasted the entire afternoon until 8pm.
Kusnet leaders also signed the agreement with the employer. Its Secretary General, James Torome, declined to speak to the media after the signing. He walked away silently from the venue, offering no comment on the contents or implications of the deal. When pressed to reveal details of what they had agreed on he said “nothing” and walked away from the glare of the cameras.
Kuppet’s initial demands included a major revision of basic salaries, plus a 20 per cent increase in house allowance to cushion teachers against surging rents, especially in urban counties.
The new deal comes after TSC met with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission earlier in the week to agree on a counter-offer to the teachers’ demands. Following the Tuesday meeting, TSC invited teachers’ unions for negotiations on Friday in a renewed effort to resolve the salary standoff that has gripped the education sector.
The talks were convened amid mounting pressure from the teacher’s union leaders who had decried the stalled implementation of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement after the previous deal expired last month.
