The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of dragging its feet on implementing key promises made by President William Ruto, warning that teachers are growing increasingly frustrated by what they see as deliberate delays.
Speaking during a press briefing, KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the commission has failed to act on presidential directives issued in September, when President Ruto met more than 10,000 teachers at State House and pledged major reforms aimed at improving their welfare.
Among the promises made by the President were the promotion of over 50,000 teachers, the absorption of 20,000 intern teachers into permanent employment, the reduction of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle from four years to two, and the allocation of 20 per cent of affordable housing units to teachers.
However, months later, the union says little has been done to turn those commitments into reality.
Misori accused the TSC of failing to seek the necessary funding from Parliament and the National Treasury to facilitate the promotion of an additional 25,000 teachers, as directed by the President.
“We are shocked that the TSC has not made any funding requests to Parliament for the promotion of the extra 25,000 teachers in the upcoming supplementary budget, which should be tabled by the end of January 2026,” Misori said.
He also expressed concern that the commission has not convened a technical committee to review teachers’ job descriptions, a key step in implementing the expanded promotion framework.
According to Misori, during the State House meeting, President Ruto acknowledged that promoting only 25,000 teachers annually was inadequate and instructed that the number be doubled to 50,000. The union now fears that without budgetary support, the directive risks remaining a promise on paper.
The union further revealed that talks with the TSC had exposed funding challenges affecting plans to convert 20,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable positions. KUPPET has raised alarm over the commission’s policy guidelines on intern teachers, warning that they could entrench job insecurity and effectively turn teachers into casual workers.
Flanked by other union officials, Misori said teachers are also in the dark regarding the President’s pledge to shorten the next CBA cycle to two years, noting that no clear steps have been communicated by the commission.
KUPPET National Chairman Omboko Milemba echoed the concerns, saying the union would continue to push the TSC to fully implement the President’s directives.
“We will not relent until the commission complies with the instruction to reduce the CBA cycle,” Milemba said.
On housing, Milemba disclosed that the union had written to Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga seeking clarity on the promise to allocate 20 per cent of affordable housing units to teachers but has yet to receive a response. He warned that teachers have given the PS until January to provide an update, failure to which the union would consider taking “serious measures”.
Milemba also revisited unresolved issues around the review of teachers’ career progression guidelines and the transition of medical cover from Minet to the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the union is closely monitoring developments.
As pressure mounts, KUPPET says teachers are no longer willing to wait indefinitely, insisting that commitments made at the highest level of government must be honoured.
