The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have concluded a two-day high-level meeting in Naivasha to assess progress made in implementing commitments President William Ruto made to teachers in September 2025.
The meeting reviewed outcomes of the President’s extraordinary engagement with teachers held on 13 September 2025, which brought together about 10,000 participants drawn from KUPPET, other teachers’ unions, and associations of primary and secondary school heads. At that forum, the Head of State outlined a raft of commitments aimed at improving teachers’ welfare, career growth and retirement security.
Among the pledges under review were the proposed reduction of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle from four years to two, promotion of an additional 25,000 teachers, allocation of 20 per cent of Affordable Housing Programme units to teachers, confirmation of 20,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms, provision of a superior medical cover, review of Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs), and reforms in pension administration.
Briefing the union, TSC outlined consultations it has held with key government agencies, including the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, as it seeks to align implementation with national fiscal frameworks. KUPPET welcomed some of the administrative steps taken so far, particularly in pension processing and disciplinary reforms.
However, the union raised serious concerns over delays and what it described as a lack of urgency on several core commitments.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said the union was troubled by the pace of implementation, noting that teachers had expected tangible progress by the end of the year.
“We were shocked that the TSC had not made any funding request to Parliament for the promotion of 25,000 more teachers during the upcoming supplementary budget,” Misori said, warning that failure to secure funding early could derail the entire promotion programme.
The union also faulted the Commission for failing to operationalise structures necessary for reform of the Career Progression Guidelines. “The technical committee charged with reviewing the job descriptions for teachers has not met for more than five months, yet its work is a precondition for reviewing the CPGs,” Misori stated.
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Concerns were further raised over the future of intern teachers, with KUPPET expressing unease over policy guidelines it says could entrench casualisation in the profession. “The guidelines provide for open-ended internship service without clear timelines for confirmation into permanent and pensionable terms,” the union noted.
KUPPET was particularly critical of the Commission’s explanation regarding delays in absorbing interns. “It is most regrettable that the Commission blames lack of funding for failure to convert 20,000 interns, yet it had not sought such funding from Parliament,” Misori said, adding that, “It is a case of the TSC eating its cake and having it at the same time.”
Despite the sharp criticism, the union acknowledged positive steps in pension administration, including plans to establish a liaison desk at the National Treasury to fast-track teachers’ pension processing, as well as reforms that have sped up disciplinary hearings and appeals.
KUPPET said it will continue engaging TSC and other government organs to ensure that commitments made to teachers translate into concrete action, warning that patience within the profession is wearing thin as expectations remain unmet.
By Joseph Mambili
