An increase of Sh1037 will be given to teachers in Job Group B5.

On August 22, 2023, negotiations between the teachers and their employer came to an end because no agreement could be reached about a reassessment of salaries.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) developed an accord that called for a wage increase of between 2.4 percent and 9.5 percent spread over two years, but union representatives refused to accept it, and the conference came to an end.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) were the three unions that represented teachers.

The offer, according to the unions, fell far short of the seven to ten percent raise that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had recommended for all civil officials, members of the security services, and teachers. The raise will go into effect on July 1, 2023, retroactively.

The TSC wants to increase the lowest-paid teacher’s basic pay from its present level of Sh21,756 to Sh22,793 in the first year and Sh23,830 starting in July of the following year, an increase of Sh1,037.

Maximum basic pay for teachers in this grade would increase to Sh28,491 from the present Sh27,195.

The Job Grade D5 teacher who earns the highest salary this year will remain at his or her current base salary of Sh131,380. This would increase to a minimum of Sh157,656 and a maximum of Sh162,539 starting in July of the following year.

Except for Cluster 4, which is proposed to be combined into Cluster 3, house and commuter allowances remain unaltered.

Therefore, an additional 85% of instructors would profit from higher housing allowances.

The proposed increment would also be spread out over two years, with the exception of Grade B5, which would take effect right away.

Teachers working in Nairobi go under Cluster 1, whereas those in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Malindi, and Kitale municipalities fall under Cluster 2.

Other former municipalities are in Cluster 3, while all other territories are in Cluster 4.

On Monday of the following week, which also happens to be the first day of classes for the Third Term, the unions will have another meeting with the TSC.

As applicants get ready for the national exams slated for October and November, the issue over the pay increase is crucial.

Akello Misori, the secretary-general of Kuppet, stated that the union is pressing for a 30 to 70% salary increase, while Collins Oyuu, the secretary-general of Knut, stated that the union is demanding a 60% hike across all job groups and that the SRC advice is “just a token.”

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The TSC had suggested a 9.5% raise for the teacher making the least money and a 2.4% raise for the highest grades.

It’s disappointing that the TSC’s presentation offers even less information than the SRC’s warning. They have till Monday to submit concrete suggestions. By further altering what we saw as a windfall from the President and the SRC advice, our aspirations have been shattered, according to Mr. Misori.

The seven to ten percent agreement had been reached between the union officials and President Ruto when they met at State House for him to push for approval of the Finance Bill 2023, which he later signed into law.

According to Mr. Oyuu, the TSC did not present anything new, and the raise was intended to protect teachers from the challenging economic climate in the nation.

According to Mr. Misori, Kuppet presented its recommendations for pay increases in 2019; the negotiations were scheduled to start in 2020 but were delayed by the epidemic. The unions agreed to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in July 2021 with the intention of reviewing it after the economy had improved.

We want to know who is telling the truth, Mr. Misori said, and whether TSC is unaware that there was an advise, that the President has spoken on the matter, or that we were ready for not less than what was offered.

According to Mr. Oyuu, the meeting held on Tuesday at the Kenya School of Government had nothing to do with the anticipated examination of the 2021–2025 CBA.

“Anything given to us by SRC will not be honored by Knut. What is the purpose of negotiating, after all? According to the law, the employer cannot inform the unions of the work previously completed by the SRC.

The SRC had suggested giving the wealthiest earners a 10% raise and the lower ranks a 7% raise.

“Teachers in administrative positions primarily profited from the 2017–2021 CBA. The predicted seven to ten percent must be completely inverted, with the lowest-paid teacher receiving 9.5 percent.

SRC must stop acting in a union-like capacity. Their responsibility is to counsel, not to bargain,” he continued.

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