Teaching fraternities across the country are in a jittery mode following the absence of any mention of funds allocated to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for the facilitation of the much-hyped 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
During yesterday’s presentation of the 2025/26 budget estimates, teachers were keen on the allocations to TSC and their breakdown, which did not mention anything closer to the CBA, as it had been expected.
TSC has been allocated 387.2 billion, up from 358.21 billion in the 2024/25 fiscal year. Of the allocation, Sh 377 billion is meant for teachers’ salaries and allowances, while 7.2 billion is for the recruitment of an additional 24,000 interns and stipends for the 20,000 interns onboarded in January this year. The balance is expected to cover the salaries and allowances of secretariat staff, as well as other contingencies within the Commission.
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It is worth noting that, up to the end of last month, TSC had not invited the teacher unions to deliberate on CBA negotiations, despite acknowledging receipt of the proposals from the unions.
KNUT is proposing a 60 per cent salary increase and a corresponding 30 per cent increase in all allowances that should be pegged to the basic salary. On their part, Kuppet is rooting for a salary rise of between 30 and 70 per cent and a 100 per cent increase in selected allowances.
Still on the same front, heads of institutions (primary and secondary schools) have to tighten their belts further and develop new strategies to accommodate the reduced budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education. Free primary education funds have been reduced by Sh900 million, while free day secondary education has suffered a reduction of Sh3 billion. Junior school funds have also been slashed by Sh 2 billion.
The financial year 2025/26 is expected to witness a surge in students being sent home due to unpaid fees. It is expected that schools will revert to earlier strategies of increasing school fees to meet the deficits caused by budget cuts. However, all is not lost.
The stakeholders in education pin their hopes on supplementary budgets to meet the massive cuts and save the Kenyan parent.
By Mark Otieno Jonyo.
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