Teachers win big after securing Sh33 billion pay deal with TSC

Teachers have won a major victory with the signing of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement worth Sh33 billion that guarantees substantial pay increases and the gradual removal of a widely criticised career policy.

The deal, signed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), comes after months of tense negotiations aimed at addressing long-standing salary disparities.

The agreement was finalised after lengthy talks held at the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) in Kasarani, Nairobi.

By the time of signing, negotiations with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) were still ongoing. The new deal provides a tiered salary increase of between 5 and 29.6 per cent, with the biggest boost going to the lowest-paid teachers.

“We have managed to get an increment of 5 per cent to 29.6 per cent,” said KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori. “Those in the higher job groups will receive 5 per cent, while the lowest-paid teachers will benefit from a 29.6 per cent rise. This award in basic pay has favoured, to a large extent, the ordinary teacher, the one who bears the brunt of the work in schools.”

Misori highlighted that this move corrects previous imbalances, noting that the last CBA from 2016 to 2021 mostly benefited school administrators and principals rather than classroom teachers.

The deal means a teacher currently earning around Sh23,000 will see their salary increase to approximately Sh29,000.

Implementation will be gradual, with an annual salary adjustment budget of Sh8.4 billion, totalling Sh33 billion by the end of the agreement period on June 30, 2029.

While allowances largely remain the same, the unions successfully negotiated the phasing out of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), a policy introduced in 2018 that has been unpopular among teachers for its strict and punitive approach.

“We have removed career progression, and it will cease to exist from 30 June 2026,” Misori said. “It has been under review and caused unnecessary interdictions. Its removal is a major relief to many.”

Misori added that although expanded allowances were not part of this budget, discussions will resume next year to address commuter, hardship, and housing allowances, which have not changed despite rising costs and inflation.

The new CBA also introduces a baggage allowance, paid at Sh43 per kilometre, for teachers transferred by TSC without applying for a transfer. This is in addition to the existing disturbance allowance.

The agreement covers the period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029, but implementation starts immediately, with teachers expected to see the revised salaries reflected in their pay by the end of July 2025.

The negotiations saw some friction, particularly over the starting date for the salary increase. TSC initially wanted to delay the raise until July 2026, but Kuppet insisted on immediate implementation.

In another win for teachers, the deal ensures that those dismissed on disciplinary grounds will still receive their retirement benefits, a change from previous practice.

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• Akelo Misori
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• KUSNET
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• Salaries and Remuneration Commission
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• Teachers win big after securing Sh33 billion pay deal with TSC
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KUSNET also signed the agreement, but its Secretary General, James Torome, declined to comment on the deal, avoiding media questions.

KUPPET’s initial demands had included a major salary overhaul and a 20 per cent increase in house allowance to help teachers cope with rising rent costs, especially in urban areas.

The new agreement follows a recent meeting between TSC and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which paved the way for renewed talks with teachers’ unions that eventually ended the salary deadlock.