The Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei when she appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee at Bunge Tower Nairobi on July 9, 2025.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has invited teachers’ unions for salary negotiations Friday following a meeting with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in a fresh push to resolve the salary standoff in the education sector.
The teachers’ employer met the SRC on Tuesday to agree on a counter-offer to the teachers’ demands. The move comes amid mounting pressure from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) who have decried stalled negotiations for the 2021–2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) after the previous one expired last month.
Sources within the TSC confirmed that the commission met with the SRC earlier to and to align their proposals with current fiscal constraints and tasked the TSC to negotiate the 2025-CBA with teachers' unions on Friday.
“We are going to the negotiations with an open mind. We have already submitted our full proposal to the TSC and are now waiting for a counter-offer, which we anticipate by Friday. Without that, we cannot dissect or respond to anything meaningfully,” said Akello Misori, the secretary-general of Kuppet.
The previous CBA expired on June 30 2025, leaving teachers without a structured framework to guide salaries, benefits, or career progression.
“This time round, let me say we are not ready to accept a non-monetary CBA. Teachers have borne the brunt of inequality in terms of remuneration for nearly six years. We signed a non-monetary CBA in 2021, citing the challenges of COVID-19. But COVID is long gone, and yet the teachers are still at the center of inequality, “said Mr Misori.
The unions have demanded an increase to the allowances teachers qualify for and a retention of gazette hardship zones under the agreement. Knut is pushing for a raft of improvements under the 2025 - 2029 (CBA), aimed at improving both the financial welfare and professional growth of teachers.
It includes a 60 per cent salary increase for the lowest-paid teachers, and about 50 per cent for those in higher job groups, to address long-standing wage disparities and adjust for inflation.
In addition, Knut is demanding a 30 per cent rise in allowances, including hardship, commuter, and house allowances, which they say have remained stagnant despite the rising cost of living and regional disparities in working conditions.
The union also wants the introduction of new benefits, such as risk allowances for science teachers, overtime compensation, and incentives for postgraduate qualifications to reward academic advancement and support specialization.
Another major issue is the enhancement of medical cover, with calls for better health insurance and greater involvement of teachers in managing the medical scheme to ensure efficiency and accountability.
Lastly, Knut is pushing for clearer promotion pathways, citing widespread frustration over stalled career growth, favoritism, and lack of transparency in teacher promotions.
Kuppet has demanded a basic salary increment ranging between 50 and 100 per cent for its members. They are also pushing for a 20 per cent increase in house allowance to reflect rising rental costs.
For teachers working in hardship areas, Kuppet wants an expansion of hardship zones and a review of the hardship allowance, which currently ranges from Sh6,600 to Sh38,100. The union also proposes that leave allowance be pegged to one month’s basic salary, with suggested payouts between Sh59,574 and Sh226,743.
Another major demand is the increase of commuter allowance by 200 percent to 250 percent, to cater for high transportation costs. Kuppet further wants a risk allowance of 20 percent of basic pay for teachers working in insecure areas.
To recognise academic advancement, the union is calling for a 40 percent postgraduate allowance for teachers holding master’s and doctorate degrees. Additionally, they want a hazardous allowance of 20 percent of basic pay for science teachers, ranging between Sh11,914.80 and Sh41,428.16.
Finally, Kuppet has proposed a shorter CBA cycle, suggesting a reduction from the current four years to two years, which they believe would allow for more responsive adjustments to economic realities.
