- SNE teachers say a promised one-grade promotion is yet to reflect in their payslips.
- They are also demanding correction of grading anomalies and fair opportunities in TSC promotions.
- National Chairman Edwin Juma Gituma wants Parliament to enforce resolutions on their career progression.
Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers have called on President William Ruto to honour his State House promise to award them one grade, saying the pledge is yet to be reflected in their grades and payslips.
The appeal was made by the National Chairman of SNE Teachers, Edwin Juma Gituma, who said SNE teachers across the 47 counties continue to face serious challenges in career progression, grading, promotion and representation despite their dedicated service to some of the most vulnerable learners in the country.
In a statement seen by Education News addressing the plight of SNE teachers, Gituma said the President had promised SNE teachers at State House that they would be awarded a one-grade promotion, a commitment that was welcomed with hope.
“Your Excellency, you promised SNE teachers at State House that we would be awarded one grade. We welcomed that commitment with hope. Unfortunately, that promise is yet to be reflected in the grades and payslips of many SNE teachers. We respectfully call upon you to honour that promise and make it a reality,” Gituma appealed.
Promotion concerns
He raised concern over recent Teachers Service Commission (TSC) promotion advertisements, where SNE teachers were not provided with specific promotion opportunities despite the specialised nature of their work, calling for urgent correction to ensure fair and transparent career progression.
Gituma also flagged wrongful placement of teachers, noting that under the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines, the entry grade for SNE teachers is C2, yet some qualified SNE teachers remain at Job Groups B5 and C1.
“This is unacceptable and must be corrected immediately. We call upon TSC to undertake a nationwide audit of SNE teachers’ grades and payroll placement, correct all cases of wrongful placement and ensure that affected teachers receive the benefits arising from the correct grading,” he said.
The SNE teachers further called upon the National Assembly Committee on Implementation to urgently enforce full implementation of Public Petition No. 76 of 2023.
According to Gituma, the petition was considered by the Public Petitions Committee, its report presented to the House and adopted by the National Assembly on February 24, 2026. Parliamentary records confirm that the petition concerned alleged discrimination in career progression for SNE teachers and sought alignment with the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines.
Gituma said the recommendation requires alignment of SNE grades and job titles with the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines, with implementation backdated to 2017 to ensure teachers receive rightful accrued benefits.
“The six-month implementation period has already expired. We therefore call upon the Committee on Implementation to summon the responsible authorities, establish why the resolution has not been implemented and ensure full and timely implementation, including the 2017 backdating and accrued benefits,” he added.
Union representation
On union representation, Gituma called on the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) leadership to strengthen representation by establishing functional KUSNET offices in all 47 counties. He also urged TSC and KUSNET to ensure that deductions for teachers who have duly joined the union are properly processed as union dues rather than agency fees.
“Our message is clear. We are not asking for favours. We are asking for fairness, recognition and implementation of commitments and resolutions already made,” Gituma said.
The teachers listed five key demands: honouring the one-grade promise, correction of wrongful SNE grading and placement, provision of fair promotion opportunities, full implementation of Petition No. 76 of 2023, including backdating to 2017 and accrued benefits, and stronger KUSNET representation across all counties.
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“Let us give the SNE teacher the recognition and dignity they deserve. The time for promises is over. The time for implementation is now. Justice for SNE teachers is justice for the learners we serve,” Gituma concluded.
By Philemon Kiprop
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