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Here is what you need to know to get up to speed with today’s happenings.

Teachers’ strike

Teachers who are members of Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) are expected to kick off their strike today, Monday, August 26, 2024, which will likely feature among the day’s top news events.

This is after the KUPPET National Governing Council met on Sunday, August 25, 2024, and held discussions during which the teachers’ strike was endorsed.

In a press statement released on Sunday, KUPPET says they had met to review developments on the nationwide teachers’ strike, which will go on as planned after the government failed to address members’ grievances by the expiry of the Strike Notice.

“The KUPPET National Governing Council met today to review developments regarding the nationwide teachers’ strike scheduled to start on Monday 26th August 2024. There being no imminent resolution of the members’ grievances by the expiry of our Strike Notice, the meeting resolved to press ahead with the strike from Monday 26th August,” the statement signed by union Secretary General Akello Misori reads in part.

However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has called off the planned strikes ahead of schools’ opening.

In a notice released on Sunday, August 25, 2024, the teachers’ union said they have withdrawn the strike notice following negotiations they had with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

The strike notice was released on August 16, 2024, and KNUT then directed all branch executive councils to mobilise to have total paralysis of teaching in all 110 branches of KNUT until the matter is resolved.

Following the withdrawal of the strike notice, learners in primary schools will go on with their education, but their secondary school counterparts whose most teachers are members of KUPPET, will be affected.

Varsity funding model

President William Ruto on Sunday, August 25, 2024, held a town hall meeting at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to defend the new university funding model.

This is expected to draw more reactions

The President said that under the new university funding model, the students have been put in five bands.

Ruto said the banding in the new funding model existed before.

“We started the banding in 1996, there has always been banding, but it did not start with this model, I know there is a push that may be this banding started with this model, but it did not. It has always been there,” Ruto stated.

The Head of State also noted that the old funding model was almost destroying the country’s education, thus the move to scrap it.

Ruto also pleaded with Kenyans who have outstanding Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) balances to settle them so that others can benefit.

Power blackout

Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has listed the areas that will be affected with the planned power maintenance today.

In a statement released on Sunday, August 25, 2024, the utility company listed areas in Nairobi and South Nyanza region.

The power blackout is expected to hit the listed areas from 9 am to 5 pm in Nairobi, and last from 9 am to 3 pm in South Nyanza listed areas.