Teachers have announced their support for President William Ruto’s reelection in 2027, stating that the President has addressed disputes affecting them nationwide.
Speaking during teachers’ grassroots elections in Nandi County on Monday, January 26, Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyoo confirmed that teachers will back President Ruto.
Oyoo also noted that recent engagements between teachers and the President at State House have started to yield results. He mentioned the government had set aside over Ksh 2 billion for teachers’ promotion and employing new educators.
“As teachers in this country, we commend the President for reviewing the CBA framework. You know that teacher promotions in this nation had stagnated, with many educators remaining in one position for numerous years,” Oyoo stated.
“The President directed an additional ksh 1 billion to be allocated, increasing promoted teachers from 25,000 to 50,000. How can we not express gratitude? As a union, we thank the President and will stand with him in 2027,” he added.
The remarks from the teachers’ union come as the government continues implementing commitments made between President William Ruto and teachers during talks at State House in September 2025.
The government promised to hire an additional 25,000 new teachers by January 2026, achieving the promised total of 100,000 teachers recruited since 2022.
The head of state also committed to implementing salary increases outlined in the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), to be carried out in two phases.
Phase one began in July 2025, with teachers receiving salary increases ranging between 16 and 32 percent. The Teachers Service Commission also agreed to reduce the CBA implementation cycle from four years to three years to accelerate the process.
Teachers were also promised additional benefits, including affordable housing units and retirement packages.
Prior to these recent declarations by KNUT officials, teachers had expressed concerns. They noted that the commission had done little to fulfill commitments the President made when he hosted them at State House in September.
“What surprised us is that the TSC, which should be accelerating all the gains we secured with the President, has accomplished very little,” Akelo Misori, secretary general of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, stated during a media briefing in late December 2025.