Teachers demand hefty raise, new perks in latest pay push

Ahead of their National Delegates Conference slated for next month, secondary school teachers across the country have floated a number of proposals and demands, among them a salary hike of between 60 and 100 per cent.

The teachers, who are still unhappy with their national office for prematurely calling off a recent strike, are also demanding for the introduction of a standing allowance pegged at 30 per cent of the basic salary on grounds that teaching while standing is not only tiresome and stressful, but also has health consequences.

In the fresh demands, they also want science teachers to be paid a detoxification allowance pegged at 20 per cent of the basic salary due to their exposure to harmful chemicals in laboratories.
The teachers, through the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) branches also want amendments to the union constitution to bar national officials who have been elected to Parliament from holding office.

Should this proposal sail through, current national chairman, Omboko Milemba, who is also the Emuhaya MP and the Bungoma county Women Rep Catherine Wambilianga would have to quit.

Retirement clause
The teachers at branch levels are also pushing for the amendment of the constitution to have all union officials retire at 60 years to march the mandatory government retirement age limit, which could be targeting the majority of top officials in the national office.

“For the sake of equity, the union officials should retire upon the attainment of 60 years to march that of their members who are teachers, who take a rest once they reach that age,” according to Vihiga Kuppet branch executive secretary Sabala Inyeni.

The union has so far held annual branches general assemblies in Kericho, Kisii, Nyamira, Narok, Kisumu, Migori, Meru, Nyeri, Kilifi Nyandarua and Tharaka Nithi, where the demands have been made.

According to Inyeni and his Narok counterpart, Charles Ng’eno, the teachers are demanding better perks in terms of salaries and allowances as well as an overhaul of the Kuppet constitution.
“Why the double standards whereby branch officials elected as County Executive Committee Members (CEC) are forced to resign as Kuppet officials, while those in the national office are allowed to double up as MPs?” Ng’eno posed.

Last month, Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori had in a memo directed all branches to submit their proposals on the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the 2024-2029 cycle by Monday, October 28, 2024.

Contentious issues
Among the proposals that the branches have submitted and seen by the People Daily include an increment of basic salary by between 60 and 100 per cent, commuter allowance to be pegged at 30 per cent of the basic salary, overtime allowance for all teachers in boarding schools pegged at 25 per cent, examiner’s allowance for teachers who mark technical and practical subjects for Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) pegged at 15 per cent and acting allowance for any teacher carrying out administrative duties in an acting capacity, pegged at 30 percent of the basic salary.

Other proposals include responsibility allowance for administrators to be increased by 20 per cent, special allowance for teachers in Special Needs Education (SNE) schools to be increased by 40 per cent, post-graduate allowance for teachers holding Masters and Ph. D degrees, pegged at 20 per cent of basic salary.

The tutors also want a comprehensive medical cover, complete with smart cards. The medical cover, they have proposed, should include their retired colleagues.

“Employment of teachers is to be done by the Teachers Service Commission, using a pre-determined marking scheme. No employment forms should be found with politicians and other stakeholders,” Inyeni further told the People Daily yesterday.

In September, Kuppet branches called for the resignation of their national officials for calling off a three-week strike without their consent. The branches claimed that the agreement entered into with the government failed to shed light on the most contentious issue, which is the stagnation of teachers in various job groups.

Kisii Kuppet County branch executive Joseph Abincha is still accusing the top national officials of having sabotaged the strike by calling it off the strike in contravention with the union’s constitution.
“We are also demanding that the constitution is amended to create room for representation of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers,” Ng’eno added.