Teachers across Embu County have been urged to stay home and avoid school on Monday, August 26, in response to the government’s failure to honor key aspects of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

This call to action, in a joint press conference led by KUPPET’s Executive Secretary Rodgers Murimi and KNUT’s Executive Secretary Josphat Kathumi, is a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute between the teachers and the government.

The unions accused the government of failing to remit third-party deductions from teachers’ payslips, such as loan repayments and insurance premiums, despite deducting these amounts.

They also express frustration over the government’s failure to convert intern teachers into permanent and pensionable positions, as well as the delayed release of pensions to retired teachers.

Another critical issue raised is the chronic understaffing in schools, which they said has resulted in a heavy workload for the existing teachers.

“This situation has not been alleviated by the government’s previous promises to hire more educators they are still taking teachers round,” Murimi said.

In addition, the unions demand that junior secondary school teachers be granted permanent employment status and that the government address the challenges surrounding the medical cover for teachers.

“Teachers cannot access medical cover due to incompetence of the medical cover provider,” he noted.

Kathumi said the teachers who will go to school on Monday will be treated as traitors calling on all teachers to ensure they stay focused to their demands.

“Teachers let’s stay at home.Parents let’s not release our children to go to school because it will be risky since there are no teachers,” Kathumi added.

The planned strike comes after talks between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the unions ended without resolution, with unions rejecting the government’s offer to partially implement the 2021–2025 CBA.

As a result, parents have been advised not to send their children to school on Monday, as learning activities are expected to be disrupted.

Teachers in other counties are also preparing to take similar action saying unless their demands are met, the strike will proceed as planned.