- KUSNET says Special Needs Education teachers are still waiting for a job-group upgrade promised by President William Ruto.
- Union officials want TSC and the National Treasury to unlock funding and implement the presidential directive without further delay.
- They also want the Sh20,000 allowance for teachers guiding colleagues with disabilities reviewed as directed at State House.
Frustration is mounting among Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers over the failure to implement a presidential promise made nearly a year ago to improve their career progression and pay.
KUSNET National Chairman Amos Karanja said President William Ruto promised in September 2025 that teachers would be moved up by one job group, but the directive had not been implemented.
“Eleven months down the line, the presidential directive has not been implemented. The President promised us. We are asking TSC to move with speed. Before the end of this month, we want to get the results,” Karanja said.
He said KUSNET was seeking implementation of both the first and second job grades promised to SNE teachers, with the first grade expected to be effected within three months.
Karanja said the President had acknowledged the demanding nature of special needs teaching and the additional effort required from teachers.
“The President himself pronounced that he knows the kind of work these teachers do. They go an extra mile and do more,” he said.
He urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to act urgently, saying teachers should not have to repeatedly pursue officials over a directive already issued by the President.
Treasury urged to release funds
KUSNET First National Trustee Jackson Odindo said the Government needed to back the promotion promise with funding.
Odindo, who is head teacher of Hope Special School for the Mentally Challenged, said learners with disabilities required greater support from teachers because of the challenges they face.
He called on Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to release funds for the promotions and urged TSC officials to accelerate the process.
Odindo said the union had raised the unresolved 2018 career progression agreement when teachers met President Ruto at State House.
He said the President responded by directing that SNE teachers be granted an additional job group.
“We are requesting the President to keep his word and honour what he promised the teachers,” Odindo said.
KUSNET seeks Ruto’s intervention
KUSNET General Secretary James Torome said the State House meeting on September 13 brought together more than 10,000 teachers, who presented a range of grievances.
Torome said TSC had prepared an implementation matrix and forwarded it to the National Treasury, but the process had stalled there.
He called on President Ruto to intervene and engage Treasury officials to resolve the impasse.
Torome said teachers were also seeking a review of the Sh20,000 guidance allowance paid to teachers living with disabilities.
He claimed TSC had not convened a meeting to discuss the proposed review.
The general secretary warned that the union could mobilise SNE teachers to return to State House if the Government failed to provide answers on the outstanding promises.
Teachers seek recognition for specialised work
KUSNET said the specialised nature of teaching learners with disabilities warranted better recognition and improved working conditions.
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The union maintained that implementing the promised promotions would not only improve teachers’ remuneration but also recognise the additional responsibilities they shoulder in supporting learners with special needs.
By Kimutai Langat
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