Teachers across Kenya have vowed to escalate their protests starting Monday, May 4, calling on President William Ruto to address critical concerns.
During national Labour Day celebrations in Vihiga on May 1, officials from the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) warned that strikes will continue if the government does not act on teachers’ grievances.
George Osura, Executive Secretary of KUPPET Kisumu, emphasised that if intern teachers are not confirmed to permanent positions as stipulated by the law, the protests will escalate on Monday.
“We are pushing for the confirmation of the intern teachers. If it is not done, you can be sure that we will be on the roads on Monday so that they are confirmed and their salaries increased,” he said.
He added that intern teachers are expecting a salary increase, as current monthly earnings of Ksh17,000 are insufficient amid the rising cost of living.
Osura reiterated the call for salary adjustments for all teachers, stressing the need to implement Ruto’s promise to condense the teachers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) into two years.
“We expect our salaries to go up, which can only happen if the Collective Bargaining Agreement is condensed into two years as promised by the president,” he said.
Osura pointed to another concern echoed during protests over the past week: “We have a lot we expect from the president. One of the issues we must discuss is the autonomy of JSS. We want them to be independent.”
Charles Otiende, KUPPET Secretary General in Vihiga, decried the delayed payment for teachers who facilitated the 2025/26 national examinations. Otiende noted that despite discussions with authorities, examiners have yet to receive their due compensation.
He also discussed the ongoing negotiations over the Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme. Teachers have raised concerns about out-of-pocket expenses and inadequate coverage.
Otiende said KUPPET met with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi in Naivasha, and some with two still pending.
The health officials assured teachers that the coverage would be adjusted to meet their needs and that pending issues would be resolved within two weeks.
Jeremiah Langat, manager of SHA in Vihiga, assured teachers that the ministry is working to resolve these issues.
“We have held stakeholder meetings and have been implementing measures to improve services. Next week, we will continue to negotiate tariffs so that teachers can access healthcare without out-of-pocket payments,” he said.
KUPPET is urging the President to take immediate action, seeking a resolution before the situation escalates further following a week of that disrupted school reopenings.