Teachers To Get Salary Increment As TSC Resumes 2025–2029 CBA Talks

Teachers will not receive a salary increment in the July payroll, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has revealed, citing ongoing negotiations over the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

KUPPET confirmed that progress toward a new pay deal has stalled, and only once a fresh agreement is signed will salary adjustments be implemented, likely retroactively from July 1, 2025.

Speaking after a high-level meeting with the union’s National Governing Council (NGC) held on July 11 at the Kasarani Sportsview Hotel in Nairobi, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori clarified that salary increments will not be factored into the July payroll.

This is because the current 2021–2025 CBA expired on June 30, 2025, and no new agreement has yet been reached. In a formal communication to branch secretaries, Misori noted that the meeting’s objective was to harmonize messaging and share the outcomes of recent talks with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the teachers’ employer.

“The purpose of this meeting is to update all branch secretaries on the resolutions and outcomes of the recent engagement held between the TSC and the KUPPET national officials. This meeting is crucial because it will ensure a unified understanding and coordinated communication of key matters affecting our members,” Misori stated in his letter to NGC members.

Despite the expiration of the existing CBA, KUPPET and the TSC are yet to finalize a new agreement. The union has confirmed that further negotiations are scheduled before or on July 20, 2025. These talks are expected to focus on various demands, including salary increments, improved allowances, promotions, and better welfare for teachers.

The new CBA, once signed, will cover the period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029. All agreed financial benefits will be backdated to July 1, ensuring that teachers receive their rightful dues from the official start of the agreement period.

Among the union’s primary demands are:

1. 100 percent salary increment for the lowest-paid teachers in Job Group B5, raising their basic monthly salary from Ksh 23,830 to Ksh 47,660 over four years.
2. 50% salary increment for teachers in the highest grade (D5).
3. Harmonization of house allowances to address regional disparities.
4. Risk allowances for teachers working in high-risk areas.
5. Improved commuter and leave allowances.
6. Collapse of job clusters like C4 and C5 to streamline promotions.
7. Automatic promotions and faster promotion cycles, with the budget for promotions proposed to increase from Ksh 1 billion to Ksh 1.7 billion.

The union is also championing recognition of intern teachers, including those hired in January and September 2023, whose service should count toward their promotion and consideration for permanent and pensionable terms.

KUPPET is also advocating for broader welfare reforms, including; Reforms to the Minet medical insurance scheme, a six-month salary grace period for teachers whose spouses pass away and Monetary compensation for non-voluntary transfers.

Opposition to forced participation in KNEC exam duties, arguing that invigilation and supervision should be voluntary.

In addition, the union is looking inward, proposing constitutional reforms to make its leadership more inclusive by increasing representation for youth, women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and minority groups.

Meanwhile, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has taken a more combative stance. Led by Secretary General Collins Oyuu, the union is demanding a 60% adjustment to basic salaries over four years, pegged to inflation, as well as a 30% increment in allowances.

KNUT officials recently held CBA consultations with the TSC, which ended without an offer from the Commission. In response, the union issued a seven-day strike notice that expired on July 8, but TSC has not issued any public response. While the strike threat has since dissipated, KNUT’s core demands remain active.

KNUT is also pressing for a comprehensive review of hardship allowances, proposing that the classification and declassification of hardship areas be conducted jointly by the union and employer. Any changes would require a three-month written notice outlining the nature of the review.

The CBA negotiations by both unions come amid a new legal landscape following a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, which declared that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) holds the final authority on the pay of all public officers. The court directed all government institutions, including the TSC, to seek and abide by the SRC’s advisory before altering salaries or signing CBAs.

Previously, the SRC had cautioned against raising public sector salaries, citing an unsustainable public wage bill. This development introduces a potential roadblock to both KUPPET’s and KNUT’s demands, especially since any pay rise will now require SRC approval.

Despite this, KUPPET has maintained that salary reviews are essential given the prevailing high inflation, stating that stagnant wages continue to erode teachers’ purchasing power and morale.

As the second round of negotiations approaches, the fate of teachers’ pay increment lies in the balance between union demands, TSC’s willingness, and SRC’s oversight.

While no new deal has been signed, both unions are pressing hard for meaningful improvements in pay, working conditions, and professional development for educators across the country.

For now, teachers will have to wait as talks continue, with hopes that an agreement will be reached before the end of July, unlocking long-awaited salary increases and welfare reforms.

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