The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is expected to release June salaries for teachers earlier than usual, following the reading of the national budget.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi presented the budget on June 12, setting the stage for salary payments before the end of the 2024/2025 financial year on June 30.
Although teachers typically receive their June salaries between the 18th and 22nd, sources suggest that the TSC will not only pay salaries earlier but also settle several outstanding payments. These include unpaid dues for teachers deployed to new roles, hardship allowance arrears for those transferred to hardship areas, and payments for special school teachers.
However, some teachers may be negatively affected as the TSC plans to eliminate hardship allowances in some regions, based on guidance from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Senior TSC officials are expected to appear before the Public Petitions Committee in Parliament to explain the criteria for identifying hardship areas.
The situation is further complicated by the absence of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which would facilitate salary increases. The 2024/2025 budget, read recently, did not allocate funds for a teacher pay raise, despite ongoing talks on the 2025–2029 CBA having stalled. As a result, teachers’ unions have threatened a nationwide strike, warning that learning in public schools could be disrupted.
The current CBA, which runs from 2021 to June 2025, must be replaced to allow for any salary adjustments. However, no funds have been set aside for salary improvements in the 2025/2026 budget.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) have all demanded that the TSC begin negotiations immediately or face industrial action.
When TSC officials presented the 2025/2026 budget to the National Assembly Education Committee on May 13, it was revealed that no money had been allocated for a new CBA.
Knut is pushing for a 60% increase in basic pay over four years, linked to inflation, as well as a 30% rise in allowances. Kuppet’s secretary-general, Akelo Misori, criticized the lack of dialogue, calling on acting TSC CEO Evaleen Jesang Mitei to kickstart negotiations.
Meanwhile, Kusnet secretary-general James Torome stated that the union has not received any communication from the TSC since July 2024, when the commission acknowledged receipt of their proposals.
1 Comment
which improved pay are you referring to?