Teachers’ unions KNUT and KUPPET are working behind the scenes to guarantee that their members receive a salary increment
According to the reports we have, both Knut and Kuppet national officials have met with high TSC officials on a casual basis. The majority of the important subjects on the agenda in those sessions are issues targeted at allowing for at least a slight salary increase.
Despite the fact that teachers did not receive a pay raise as a result of the national budget, a number of union officials from both unions have suggested that a supplementary budget may be used to ensure that teachers receive larger benefits.
In most cases, a Supplementary Budget is prepared when government ministries and state departments request additional funding from the Treasury during the year.
TSC and teachers’ unions failed to reach an agreement aimed at revisiting the non-monetary CBA they signed in July 2021 early enough to factor in a salary component, so teachers missed out on the national budget.
According to TSC insiders, the Commission is more intent on addressing the country’s looming teacher shortage than on spending money on salaries.
TSC has disputed reports that the money will be used to give salary increments to teachers, despite Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani allocating an additional ksh 143 billion to TSC this year.
TSC affirmed in its report to the legislature that the increased monies will be used to hire more teachers.
The commission was given a financial allocation of ksh 2.5 billion to hire 5,000 permanent teachers and another ksh 1.2 billion to hire 6,000 others on internships.
The talks between the Commission and the teachers’ unions, knut and kuppet, about the review of CBA 2021-2025, which had raised new hopes for compensation changes for teachers, salary changes collapsed.
Teachers would receive increased salaries through a supplementary budget if ongoing covert talks between TSC and teachers’ unions bear fruit.
