Senators demand urgent probe into delayed teachers’ allowances

Senators have called for an urgent probe into the widespread delays in paying teachers’ allowances, describing the situation as humiliating for educators.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who raised the issue on the Senate floor, condemned what he termed the “persistent and systemic non-payment” of allowances to teachers, saying the delays have deeply demoralised the teaching workforce.

“It has become humiliating for teachers to accompany students to sports and other extracurricular activities without receiving their rightful allowances,” Sifuna said.

He lamented that while students are fully facilitated for such activities, teachers are left to struggle financially.

“Teachers are compromising their ability to secure decent accommodation and meet essential out-of-pocket expenses,” he added, noting that these allowances remain unpaid even after teachers have diligently fulfilled their duties.

The Senator particularly demanded an explanation for the non-payment of allowances for teachers who participated in the East African Secondary School Games held in Kakamega and the Drama and Music Festivals held in Kampala in August 2025. He further sought a clear timeline for when the teachers will be paid and the policy measures the Ministry of Education plans to adopt to prevent future delays.

Meanwhile, hopes for the resumption of learning in public universities have been dashed after lecturers vowed to extend their strike until the end of the year.

The strike, now in its seventh week, intensified after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) rejected a government proposal to settle Sh7.9 billion in salary arrears in three instalments.

UASU officials said no classes would resume in all 42 public universities until the arrears are fully paid and the 2019–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is implemented in full.

“The government is proposing to implement the Sh7.9 billion in three phases, that’s three strikes, and we don’t want to subject our students to further frustration,” UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga said.

“They'd better suffer now up to December so we clear all these issues. Come January, it will be a clean slate; they can study up to 2030, and I’ll call another strike in 2030. Let the country know that lecturers have blatantly refused to go back to work if the Sh7.9 billion is not paid.”

Wesonga accused the government of repeatedly failing to honour CBAs, saying phased payments would only invite more industrial unrest in the future.

The prolonged strike has disrupted academic calendars across universities, sparking fears that students could miss graduations, industrial attachments or even completion of their studies.

Many postgraduate students at the University of Nairobi’s Dental School expressed frustration over the ongoing lecturers’ strike, saying it has rendered the semester unproductive and wasted both time and financial resources.

They noted that the disruption has derailed their academic progress, with some describing the semester as effectively lost despite having paid full fees.

Other Topics To Read

• Education
• teachers strike
• Lecturers' strike
• Teachers allowances
• Senators demand urgent probe into delayed teachers’ allowances
• Headlines

At Moi University, UASU officials warned that the stalemate risks pushing many students out of school.

“Students are suffering as a result of this strike, yet the Ministry of Education appears to be taking the situation lightly,” Busolo Wegesa, the Moi University UASU Secretary, said.

“Students have been left idle for much of the semester and are now engaging in other activities outside campus as classes remain suspended. We appeal to the government to quickly resolve this strike so that we can return to class.”

Talks between the government and university staff unions collapsed on October 24, 2025, after lecturers rejected a Sh3.5 billion offer, maintaining their demand for full payment of the arrears.

The strike began in mid-September, just as universities reopened for the new academic year and first-year students were settling in. It was jointly called by UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU).