The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has issued a stern warning to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), signalling that it may call off pupils from classes nationwide if discussions on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) aren’t launched by Monday, July 7, 2025.

The current agreement expired on June 30, and KNUT officials are concerned that indefinite delays are setting the stage for a disruptive aftermath.

Stalled talks

During a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu expressed frustration at TSC’s failure to engage meaningfully.

He emphasised that the union’s proposals include a minimum 60 per cent salary increase and a 30 per cent rise in allowances for all teachers.

“We are looking forward to the demands we gave. Teachers of Kenya are not prepared to receive a non-monetary CBA as it has been in the recent past,” Oyuu declared, underscoring the union’s insistence on tangible improvements in teachers’ terms of service.

Despite an invitation for CBA negotiations extended to TSC headquarters, the scheduled talks failed to commence.

KNUT responded by issuing a seven-day strike notice: “We gave them until July 7 to begin negotiations; failure to comply will disrupt learning in public schools across Kenya,” Oyuu warned, highlighting the serious implications for students and the education system.

This is not an isolated position. Earlier this month, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) issued a similar warning after TSC sidestepped its invitation to negotiate.

Its secretary general, Akello Misori, made a powerful appeal to TSC.

“The new agreement must address teacher welfare and restore morale; an aspirational CBA will not suffice.” The joint pressure from both unions is seen as a significant mobilisation of the teaching profession, heightening the urgency of the matter.

If an agreement is not reached, KNUT says a formal strike notice will be served and all public-school teachers will pull out of classrooms.

With students approaching the mid-year break and the new academic term around the corner, education officials are scrambling to find a last-minute compromise.

Parents, schools, and policymakers are bracing for possible shutdowns that would derail learning for hundreds of thousands of students.