The government has pledged to review the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle for teachers following the signing of a new deal with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu, addressing 10,000 teachers at State House, called for the cycle to be reduced from four years to two, arguing that this was in line with global best practice.
President William Ruto responded by welcoming Oyuu’s proposal and promising to support the review. “Congratulations on signing the CBA with TSC. There were no demonstrations. Some people are unhappy that there were no demos, but this shows maturity,” Ruto said.
He assured teachers that the government would not only honour its part of the deal but also be open to improving it. “We will own our part as government regarding the CBA. If there are areas of improvement, we will look beyond what has been signed,” he added.
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On the question of the cycle, Ruto confirmed that global recommendations favour shorter terms. “You asked that we reduce the CBA cycle from four years to two years. I’m told that is what is recommended globally, so my position is that I accept this is the case,” he said.
He directed the TSC, Ministry of Education, and teachers’ unions to sit down and work out the details. “Do we reduce it to four-three or four-two? Because we are engaging. The teams here — TSC, MoE, and teachers’ unions — now you have our mandate to go and review this downward,” Ruto stated.
The move is expected to give teachers more frequent opportunities to renegotiate their terms and align Kenya’s practice with international standards.
By Joseph Mambili
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