The Kenya National Union of Teachers, (KNUT) has expressed optimism about future gains once the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Amendment Bill currently with the Attorney General is passed into law.
The bill, KNUT secretary general Collins Oyuu said, proposes a review of the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT), which is expected to unlock additional non-monetary benefits in the 2029–2032 CBA cycle.
Oyuu further revealed that discussions were underway to introduce a group life insurance scheme for teachers, a benefit already extended to other civil servants but conspicuously missing in the current teachers’ comprehensive medical cover.
“Right now, teachers only benefit from a last-expense cover for funeral costs. That’s not enough. We are working with the TSC and the National Treasury to roll out a proper group life policy,” he stated.
The agreement, he said, was set to be registered with the Employment and Labour Relations Court hence signaling the beginning of a new pay structure for teachers across the country.
He added that the union was now pushing for more regions to be officially recognized as hardship zones, allowing affected teachers to enjoy related allowances.
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On non-monetary gains, the SG revealed that teachers who are dismissed close to retirement would now be entitled to pension payments based on their years of service—a longstanding grievance the union has consistently raised.
“Previously, if a teacher was dismissed even at 59 years and 10 months, they went home empty-handed. But we agreed that such teachers will now receive pension benefits proportional to their service. Your years of honest service should not be nullified by a single incident toward the end of your career,” he said.
A review on the allowances, he added, was not effected due to the ongoing development of the Teachers Code of Regulations adding that the matter shall be revisited once the exercise is concluded.
“We had put on the table an increase of 60 percent but TSC said they could not proceed without the code of Regulations in place,” he said.
Earlier KNUT members secured a major financial breakthrough following the signing of a fresh Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that will see salary increases of up to 29.5 percent.
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The 2025–2029 CBA, inked during a closed-door meeting at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), introduces both monetary and non-monetary gains.
Oyuu hailed the deal as a significant win, particularly for teachers in the lower job grades.
“For the first time since the 2021–2025 cashless CBA, this new agreement provides monetary value. Teachers in job Grades B5 to C3, who fall within the lower cadre, will receive the largest increase—up to 29.5 percent. Those in Grades C4 to D5, the higher cadre, will see a modest but still meaningful rise of about 12 percent,” Oyuu said.
The union, he said, also scored a win in the retention of all previously gazetted hardship areas in the new CBA.
Others features of the deal indicate that teachers across the country will, for the first time, receive a baggage allowance to cater for relocation expenses when transferred to new duty stations.
The new rates range from Ksh43 to Ksh80 per kilometre, depending on the teacher’s grade, with the highest compensation going to those in Grade D5. It is aimed at easing the financial burden of moving.
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“In terms of allowances, the commission has increased the rates for payment of baggage allowance… All other allowances remain unchanged as contained in the CBA signed with the unions today,” the TSC stated.
Under this new structure, teachers in lower grades as B5 and C1, will receive Sh43 per kilometre, while those in Grades C2 to C5 will be compensated at Sh55 per kilometre.
Those in the higher job groups, including D1, D2, D3 and D4, will earn Sh68 per kilometre when moving to new stations.
The highest grade, D5, has seen the biggest adjustment, with the allowance set at Ksh80 per kilometer.
While most allowances as commuter, house, and hardship allowances, remain intact, the introduction of baggage allowance is part of the commission’s broader effort to address the practical and financial realities faced by teachers during duty transfers.
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It comes alongside salary increases of up to 29.5 per cent under the new CBA, aimed at narrowing the wage gap across different job groups.
Union officials have welcomed the new allowance, describing it as a fair and necessary step toward making teacher relocation more dignified and less financially burdensome.
“This is a progressive step that acknowledges the practical challenges teachers face when serving in remote or reassigned locations,” said a KNUT official.
The provision is expected to especially benefit teachers regularly deployed to hardship and insecurity-prone areas.
B5 is the newly employed primary teacher (II) while D5 is the chief principal.
By Fredrick Odiero
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