Teachers, through the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), issued demands to President William Ruto’s government lest they organise an industrial strike.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu made the announcement, on Tuesday, December 13, at the annual union delegation conference in Kisumu.
Oyuu demanded a 60 per cent increase in the basic salary for teachers across all cadres and a review of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
“The last CBA signed for 2017 -2021 put a lot of emphasis on the welfare of headteachers and their deputies.
“We now demand the welfare of all teachers to be put in consideration in the 2021-2025 CBA and every teacher to be awarded 60 per cent basic salary increase,” Oyuu demanded.
He argued that teachers should be treated well, considering their job demands.
“The quality of life for teachers in this country has deteriorated due to poor pay, and we want the government to recognize us and be rewarded,” Oyuu added.
The union also advocated for the delocalization program of teachers, underlining that it hurts the basic structure of the family.
KNUT further announced that it will petition the Parliament to allocate Ksh4.5 billion for teachers to cater for teachers’ professional development induction.
“Teachers do not have enough finances to maintain themselves. We should, therefore, not be expected to pay for the professional development induction,” Oyuu stated.
Currently, teachers pay Ksh6,000 for the induction offered in select Kenyan universities.
Other demands made by the union included; reinstatement of the teachers’ appeal tribunal and promotion criteria to focus on academic qualifications.
