Teachers have put their employer on notice over long-running grievances, including delayed promotions, stalled career progression and delays in implementing key agreements, warning that failure to resolve the disputes could trigger industrial action and disrupt learning across the country.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has escalated its push for urgent reforms at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), accusing the agency of ignoring persistent concerns affecting thousands of educators.
Speaking during a press briefing following a post-election meeting, KUPPET leaders said thousands of teachers have been left stuck in the same job groups for years despite long service, accusing the commission of neglect.
The union is now demanding the immediate advertisement of promotion vacancies for about 135,000 teachers, saying many have stagnated in their current grades, with some waiting up to 30 years for advancement.
“We cannot accept that teachers stagnate for a long time without promotions. Some work for as long as 30 years before being promoted to the D5 job group. We want that period reduced so that we can attain equality,” KUPPET national vice chairperson Julius Korir said.
KUPPET also wants the confirmation of 44,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms, arguing that the continued delay has weakened morale and affected performance in schools.
Secretary General Akelo Misori further urged the TSC to speed up implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, insisting that the second phase must be fully implemented by July 2027.
“The commission should assure teachers that the second phase of the 2025-2029 CBA, which was signed last year, is implemented by July 2027,” Misori said.
KUPPET also warned against any attempts to reduce hardship allowances, saying the move would face strong opposition from teachers nationwide.
“We are hearing that you want to touch on our hardship allowances despite agreements made through legal notices with TSC. Do not attempt or even think about those abrupt changes,” Korir added.
The dispute comes at a time when TSC has announced plans to promote only 30,000 teachers in the 2026/2027 financial year, down from an expected 50,000 positions, despite increased budget allocation.
Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei disclosed on May 13, 2026, while appearing before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Education.
The cut of 20,000 promotion slots has sparked frustration among teachers, especially after the promotion budget was doubled from Sh1 billion to Sh2 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Some educators had expected 50,000 promotions following earlier commitments linked to President William Ruto’s pledge to expand opportunities in the sector.
“Teachers were warming up for 50,000 slots based on the president’s word. To hear that Sh2 billion only covers 30,000 people is a shock to the system,” an assistant treasurer from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) said.
Over the years, more than 100,000 teachers have been promoted, including 36,504 in the 2023/24 financial year and 25,252 in 2025. In April, TSC issued 3,460 promotion letters to teachers promoted in January.
KUPPET is also pushing TSC to release the new Career Progression Guidelines, saying teachers need clarity on how advancement will be handled going forward.
“We want the Commission to publish the draft report of the new guidelines immediately and begin the public participation process, with a view to meeting the CBA-provided deadline,” Misori said.
The union further rejected proposals to review hardship allowances, warning that any reduction would significantly cut earnings for teachers in remote and underserved regions.
“Do not even imagine that you can remove the hardship allowance. The National Governing Council demands that the current hardship allowances for teachers, as set out in the relevant legal notices, are maintained. Any report proposing the removal of teachers’ hardship allowance should not be implemented until it is approved by Parliament and assented to by the President,” Misori said.
The allowance, paid monthly to teachers in arid, insecure and marginalised areas, ranges from Sh6,600 for junior teachers to Sh38,100 for senior administrators, forming a key part of take-home pay.
The government is currently reviewing hardship area classifications, a move that could see some regions lose the designation. Teachers’ unions argue that conditions in many of these areas remain difficult and that removal of the allowance would be unfair.
The benefit costs the government about Sh26 billion annually.
KUPPET has also raised concerns over the medical cover under the Social Health Authority, saying many contracted hospitals are not delivering services as expected, forcing teachers to seek treatment elsewhere despite salary deductions.
On staffing, the union is demanding immediate confirmation of 44,000 intern teachers, citing a Court of Appeal ruling that declared internship contracts by TSC unconstitutional, null and void.
“The NGC demands the immediate confirmation of all 44,000 intern teachers in line with the judgment by the Court of Appeal which declared the TSC’s internship contracts as unconstitutional, null and void,” Misori said.
Members of the National Assembly Education Committee have also raised concerns over fairness and regional disparities in promotions, calling for transparency and timely implementation of teacher welfare programmes.
Kuppet’s National Governing Council said failure to address the grievances could trigger industrial action likely to disrupt learning across the country.
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