The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has intensified pressure on the government to review the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), arguing that the current salary structure has left teachers worse off than other public servants.

The union says the salary increments awarded under the current CBA are too low and have failed to cushion teachers against rising living costs and increased statutory deductions, which have significantly reduced their take-home pay.

Speaking on behalf of KUPPET’s Vihiga branch on Sunday, July 26, 2026, Executive Secretary Charles Otiende said the salary adjustments implemented so far had fallen short of teachers’ expectations.

“We have scrutinized the increments that teachers received, and it is disappointing that teachers have received an increment of between 600 and 290 shillings,” Otiende said.

Call for fresh negotiations

KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori is now calling for fresh negotiations with the government to review the agreement and align teachers’ salaries with those of other public servants.

The union also wants the remaining two phases of the salary implementation under the current CBA paid at once to provide teachers with meaningful salary increases.

“We want to request the President to meet the national office and look into the CBA, amend it, and pay the two remaining phases in one so that our teachers can have a good increment on their salaries,” Otiende added.

The teachers’ union further accused the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) of delaying the review of teachers’ remuneration structures, saying the slow process has hampered efforts to address long-standing salary disparities across job groups.

“Therefore, we want to give SRC a notice that they should finish up with the document they have, advising TSC on how to pay the new salaries based on the new job groups so that our members can also feel that they are working for this government,” Otiende said.

KUPPET maintains that reviewing the current CBA and harmonizing teachers’ salaries with those of other public servants would improve teachers’ welfare, boost morale and enhance service delivery in schools.

Govt implementing reforms in education sector

The renewed demands come as the government continues implementing reforms in the education sector, including the recruitment of more teachers to address staffing shortages.

Basic Education Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa said the government has employed more than 100,000 teachers as part of efforts to strengthen the education system and support the implementation of the current CBA.

“Over 100,000 teachers have been hired. The purpose is to ensure that we implement the CBA without any challenges. We will also continue to retool our teachers on curriculum implementation,” Ololtuaa said.

The current 2025-2029 CBA is being implemented in phases, but KUPPET argues that the agreed salary adjustments no longer reflect the economic realities facing teachers and has urged the government to reopen negotiations to address the concerns.