KUPPET vows to continue with strike, shut down schools for another week

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) will continue its strike, disrupting secondary school learning for a second consecutive week.

KUPPET has vowed to continue with the industrial action until the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) addresses the issue of promoting teachers who have been stuck in the same job groups for extended periods.

During a meeting held on Sunday, KUPPET's National Governing Council dismissed the proposed Sh1,000 pay increase by their employer, terming it as insufficient.

KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori declared that schools will remain closed for the next week and possibly beyond, as long as the employer refuses to heed their demands.

"The employer has refused to elevate the teacher, and this is not a laughing matter. I must say this: If employers are going to choose not to respect the Minister for Labour, then that Minister should be scrapped and the Minister should go home. That is the reason for which this morning the National Governing Council, which was called to review the status of the strike, has reported positively that the schools are not running and they are not going to run for the next one week, even beyond. The teachers this time have vowed to stay at home," he said.

Misori also issued a warning to school principals who are still accommodating students, noting that they are doing so against the union's wish.

"We are appealing to those principals who have been persuaded by wrong notions to prevent schools from being burnt down. Our teachers in post-primary institutions are leading a very moral group. You cannot keep students in school with teachers who are casuals," he said.

Misori further emphasised that parents who insist on keeping their children in schools are doing so at their own risk.

"The teachers who are known, qualified, and competent to handle these students are the ones who know what is best. So, parents who are risking the continued stay of their children in school—KUPPET is not responsible. We are not responsible," he warned.

He, however, expressed gratitude to private school teachers who have joined the strike and urged parents and principals to avoid engaging in what he termed a "mischievous arrangement" by the TSC.

Education CS Julius Ogamba during his vetting before the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments on August 1, 2024. (Photo: Handout)

The ongoing job boycott by KUPPET coincides with KNUT’s decision to suspend its own strike last week. Despite rumours of collaboration with the TSC, KNUT has denied any such claims, reiterating its commitment to independently addressing teachers' concerns.

Speaking during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Kyuso teachers in Kyuso town, Mwingi North, on Saturday, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu noted that they will continue addressing teacher issues squarely with the employer.

"We must safeguard the position of the teachers and ensure we have a workforce that is highly professional," Oyuu said.

He emphasised that KNUT’s decision to suspend the strike was made in the best interests of its members and was widely supported by its teaching fraternity.

On August 25, KNUT announced the suspension of its strike, stating that it had considered the level of commitment by the government and TSC, as well as the need to advance the education agenda.

Despite lingering doubts about some of the steps taken by the government and TSC to address pressing concerns, the union said it remains optimistic about the prospects of meeting its demands.

Among the key issues KNUT raised were the permanent employment of 46,000 junior secondary school teachers, the promotion of 130,000 teachers, the immediate implementation of the second phase of the 2021/2025 amended Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed between TSC and KNUT, and the timely remittance of third-party deductions to their respective organisations.

KNUT acknowledged progress in discussions with TSC, noting that the employer had promoted 51,232 teachers, remitted the third-party deductions, and was in the process of implementing the amended CBA.

Oyuu claimed that all demands being made by the KUPPET teachers—90 percent of them—have been addressed, emphasising that the JSS teachers will be confirmed as permanent employees in a few months time.

KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu addresses the press at the Union's headquarters in Nairobi on August 25, 2025. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)