The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has threatened to initiate a nationwide teachers’ strike next month if the National Treasury does not reverse its decision to slash Ksh10 billion from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) budget.
This budget cut has hindered the TSC from fully implementing the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
KNUT on CBA
Addressing a press conference in Nyeri, the union’s National Chairman Patrick Karinga expressed concern over the unfulfilled CBA obligations, as evidenced by recent TSC payslips.
“We have noticed that teachers have been denied their pay rise, which the CBA entitled them to for the 2021/2025 period. We demand the Treasury release the Ksh10 billion they have slashed from the TSC,” Karinga stated.
Karinga warned that failure to meet their demands would result in teachers striking until their grievances are addressed.
“The National Treasury must fulfil its promise by next month, or our teachers will go on strike until our demands are met,” Karinga declared.
Flanked by other KNUT officials, Karinga criticized the deduction of TSC funding as immoral and illegal, noting that the CBA has not been rescinded by either party.
The National Treasury has implemented budget cuts across various government ministries, including the Office of the President, as part of austerity measures following the withdrawal of the 2024 financial bills.
The TSC had been allocated Ksh357 billion in the 2024 financial bill, an amount that would have been sufficient to implement the pay hike and hire an additional 20,000 teachers on a contract basis.
Salary increase
However, the teachers’ union insists that the government must honour its commitment to the second phase of the salary increase stipulated in the amended 2022/2025 CBA.
“We urge the TSC to use all means to compel the Treasury to restore the slashed funds. The government must award teachers a salary increase of between 2.5% to 9%, as is their right under labor laws,” Karinga emphasized.
The union also called on President Ruto to intervene and prevent the disruptions to thousands of learners that a teachers’ strike would cause.
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