Teachers' unions clash over the representation of JSS teachers

A fresh row has erupted between the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) over the representation of more than 10,000 teachers deployed from primary schools to junior schools.

KUPPET Secretary-General Akello Misori accused KNUT of frustrating efforts by 10,250 teachers to leave the union and join KUPPET, despite their deployment to junior schools, which fall under the post-primary education sector.

Misori said the teachers had expressed their intention to switch unions but remained in limbo after KNUT allegedly failed to release them, denying them an opportunity to be represented by the union of their choice.

He argued that the teachers, whose deployment letters designate them as Secondary School Teacher II, should be represented by KUPPET in line with their current roles and terms of service.

“Some of these teachers have found themselves in limbo. They are unable to join KUPPET due to the refusal of the former union to discharge them,” said Misori.

He said workers are free to change their union membership under the law, provided they notify their existing union, which should facilitate the transition smoothly.

Misori cited Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees workers the right to join and participate in the activities of a trade union, arguing that teachers should be allowed to exercise their freedom of association.

''According to article 41 of our Constitution, workers have the right to join and participate in the activities of a trade union or in the activities of a federation they want to be in,'' he said.

KUPPET chairman Omboko Milemba backed the teachers' demands,  saying the union would push for amendments to education laws to recognise junior schools as an autonomous level of education.

Milemba argued that the teachers had been overlooked in the ongoing debate on the comprehensive school model, despite their role in implementing the Competency-Based Education curriculum.

''So my colleagues in the parliament must just do what is right, remove that nomenclature called comprehensive,'' he said.

But beyond the unions dispute, the teachers raised concerns over their working conditions, including restrictions on transfers, stalled career progression and the loss of administrative positions following their deployment.

Protus Kanake, the national coordinator of deployed junior school teachers, said some teachers had been separated from their families after being posted to counties far from their homes, with attempts to secure transfers frustrated by requirements to find colleagues willing to swap stations.

''Some of us right now are in broken families because we were posted in Nairobi yet our families live in other counties, so we also need transfers made easy,'' he said

The teachers also complained that their deployment had stalled their career progression, with some who previously served as deputy headteachers, senior teachers and acting heads of institutions losing their administrative positions.

Kanake said there are no clear provisions for their progression into administrative positions within the junior school structure, leaving experienced teachers stuck in classroom roles.

''Even as we speak, there's no provision for career progression of a junior school teacher and if there is, let it be provided,'' he said.

The group further cited discrepancies in their deployment records, saying some teachers received deployment letters in 2024 but were required to undergo the process again in 2025, resulting in a loss of up to 15 months in service recognition.

The teachers also raised concerns over alleged double union deductions, with some claiming they continued to remit contributions to both KNUT and KUPPET despite seeking to change their membership.

They called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to expedite their release from KNUT, resolve the deduction disputes and review the transfer and career progression policies affecting deployed junior school teachers.