Ruto reserves 20 per cent of affordable housing units for teachers
The President also defended his decision to host teachers at the State House, stressing that the event was not a political gathering but a forum to deliberate on education and Kenya’s future.
President William Ruto has announced that 20 per cent of all houses under the government’s Affordable Housing Programme will be allocated to teachers.
Speaking during the Waalimu na Rais forum at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed to formalise the arrangement.
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The meeting brought together teachers and leaders from unions such as the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) to discuss issues affecting the education sector.
"Today we are going to sign an MOU so that teachers can get 20 per cent of all the housing we are constructing," said Ruto.
The President also defended his decision to host teachers at the State House, stressing that the event was not a political gathering but a forum to deliberate on education and Kenya’s future.
“I called you here not because of politics but so that we can talk on matters of education and Kenya at large,” Ruto told the teachers.
“I want you, through your officials, to address the matters concerning you that I can deal with as part of the Kenyan professional community,” he added.
Teachers’ representatives raised a number of issues, including calls to have headteachers managing junior secondary classes in primary schools formally recognised as principals, noting that many hold advanced degrees but remain unacknowledged.
They also demanded the scrapping of career progression guidelines that transfer teachers to remote counties just before retirement, saying promotions should be based on merit and not limited by hardship postings.
The teachers pushed for a review of the July collective bargaining agreement to allow salary adjustments every two years instead of four, citing rising inflation.
Ruto, who praised teachers as “selfless patriots,” said his administration had moved away from the previous practice of hiring only 5,000 teachers per year and instead recruited large numbers, even through internship programmes, to close staffing gaps.
He said the government’s efforts were gradually improving the teacher-student ratio nationwide.
The President described the occasion as historic, saying it was the first time teachers were being hosted in such a setting at the State House.
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