- KUPPET members, their spouses and children will benefit from a 16 per cent tuition fee waiver at OUK.
- The union says the partnership is intended to make further education more affordable for teachers and their families.
- Beneficiaries must undergo verification through KUPPET branches and still meet the university’s admission requirements.
Members of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), their spouses and children can now access a 16 per cent tuition fee waiver when enrolling in programmes at the Open University of Kenya (OUK).
The union announced the benefit in a circular dated September 26, 2026, addressed to all KUPPET members through branch executive secretaries.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said the waiver follows a partnership between the union and OUK aimed at expanding opportunities for members and their families to pursue further studies.
“This partnership seeks to make further education more affordable and support the academic advancement of our members and their families,” Misori said in the circular.
According to the circular, members seeking the waiver are required to download the KUPPET Membership/Staff Verification Form from the union’s app and complete the relevant sections.
Applicants must indicate whether the beneficiary is the KUPPET member, spouse or child. Where the applicant is a spouse or child, they should be listed as beneficiaries with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Applicants are also required to provide the intended OUK programme and admission or application number, where available.
The completed form must then be presented to the respective KUPPET Branch Executive Secretary for verification, signing and an official union stamp.
Once verified, the signed and stamped form should be submitted to OUK as supporting documentation when applying for the tuition fee waiver.
The union clarified that the 16 per cent waiver applies specifically to tuition fees and does not automatically guarantee admission to the university.
“Please note that the 16% waiver applies to tuition fees. Admission remains subject to the university’s entry requirements,” the circular states.
KUPPET has consequently directed branch executive secretaries to facilitate timely verification and signing of the forms to enable eligible applicants to access the benefit.
“We encourage members and their families to take advantage of this opportunity to advance their qualifications,” Misori said.
Wider partnership
The tuition waiver is part of a broader collaboration between KUPPET and OUK covering training, professional development, capacity building, research and innovation, policy advocacy, community engagement and resource sharing.
OUK, in announcing the partnership this week, said a key benefit is a 16 per cent discount for KUPPET members, their legal dependants and KUPPET employees on eligible programmes. The university said its online learning model allows teachers to pursue further education while continuing with their professional and other responsibilities.
The university currently offers programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate diploma, master’s and doctoral levels. Its published 2025/2026 fee structure lists several undergraduate programmes, including Bachelor of Education (Arts), Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Data Science and Bachelor of Computer Science, at KSh79,000 annually.
Bachelor of Technology Education costs KSh86,000 annually, while Bachelor of Public Administration is listed at KSh105,000.
Postgraduate diploma programmes are listed at KSh110,000, while several master’s programmes, including Master of Education in Technology Education and Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy, cost KSh187,500 for the full programme.
READ ALSO: Machakos teachers hold games, marathon and tree planting ahead of World Teachers’ Day
OUK also allows phased fee payments within a semester and says admission applications are continuous, with learners organised into cohorts depending on their programmes.
By Joseph Mambili
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
