- West Pokot ECDE teachers have issued a seven-day strike notice over unresolved employment and remuneration grievances.
- KUNOPPET says its members will withdraw their services from October 2 unless their demands are addressed.
- Hillary Muhalya reports that the looming strike could disrupt learning and preparations for transition to Grade One.
The future of thousands of ECDE learners in West Pokot could be thrown into uncertainty after county-employed pre-primary teachers issued a seven-day strike notice, putting October 2, 2026, on the calendar as the date they intend to withdraw their services over unresolved employment grievances.
The Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) has given the West Pokot County Government days to address disputes over remuneration, job grading, hardship allowance, gratuity, employment terms and union recognition.
The looming strike could have consequences beyond the teachers’ employment dispute, potentially disrupting ECDE learning, learner transition to Grade One and planned graduation or completion activities if the work stoppage proceeds.
The union’s notice, dated September 24, 2026, directs KUNOPPET members employed by the county government not to report to duty from October 2.
Signed by KUNOPPET General Secretary Samuel A. Opiyo, the notice is referenced KUN/ADM/S76/038/5/26 and was copied to the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, the West Pokot County Public Service Board and the County Secretary.
The union cited Section 76(b) and (c) of the Labour Relations Act, 2007, in issuing the industrial-action notice.
KUNOPPET has listed six demands it wants resolved.
The first concerns implementation of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission advisory of August 10, 2023, together with what the union describes as subsequent third and fourth remuneration cycles.
The union is also demanding payment of hardship allowance; appropriate job grading and designations; payment of gratuity for the period teachers served under contract; conversion of eligible ECDE teachers from contractual to permanent and pensionable terms; and signing of a Recognition Agreement between KUNOPPET and the county government.
The demands cover remuneration, allowances, career progression, terminal benefits, job security and formal recognition of the teachers’ union.
Court case adds another layer
The planned strike comes while the employment dispute is already before the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kitale.
The court has directed KUNOPPET to file its submissions within seven days, while the West Pokot County Government has been given 14 days to respond.
The parties are scheduled to return to court on October 16, 2026, for directions on fixing a date for the ruling.
The proposed October 2 industrial action therefore falls 14 days before the scheduled court appearance, leaving the parties with a short period to seek a negotiated settlement or address the issues surrounding the planned strike.
The court proceedings concern the wider employment dispute between the union and county government, while the latest strike notice creates an immediate question over the continuity of ECDE services.
The potential consequences for learners could be significant if teachers withdraw their services.
ECDE teachers play a central role in preparing children for transition into Grade One, including completion of learning activities, assessment-related processes and preparation of records required for progression.
A prolonged disruption could therefore affect the timing and organisation of Grade One transition for learners completing their ECDE cycle.
Graduation and completion activities could also be affected, depending on the schedules adopted by individual ECDE centres.
For parents, the issue is consequently no longer limited to salaries and employment conditions. The immediate question is whether children will complete their ECDE programmes and proceed to Grade One without disruption.
A dispute with a wider education question
The West Pokot confrontation also highlights the wider challenge facing county governments in managing ECDE teachers, who form the foundation of the basic education pathway.
KUNOPPET has maintained that the county should implement applicable remuneration arrangements and address the employment concerns raised by its members.
The county government’s position is expected to emerge through its response in the ongoing court process and any negotiations with the union.
The dispute now places the county government and KUNOPPET under pressure to find common ground before the proposed strike date.
With the strike notice already issued and the court process continuing, the next few days could determine whether ECDE services across West Pokot remain uninterrupted.
A negotiated settlement before October 2 would keep teachers in classrooms and reduce the risk of disruption to learners preparing to move to Grade One.
If the strike proceeds, however, ECDE centres could experience interruptions at a critical point in the learning cycle, with possible effects on learning, learner transition and graduation or completion activities.
The immediate deadline is now October 2, while the next major court date is October 16.
READ ALSO: Ruto watches Kenyan basketball star Madina Okot as Atlanta Dream beat New York Liberty
For West Pokot’s ECDE teachers, the two dates have become the key markers in a dispute that has moved from the negotiating table to the courtroom — and now threatens to reach the classroom.
By Hillary Muhalya
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
