Inside teachers' new pay deal after unions ink agreement

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori and his KNUT counterpart Collins Oyuu. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Finer details of teachers pay deal have now emerged after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) effected the first payment following the signing of an agreement on Monday.

TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia announced that teachers will get a pay increment of between Sh139 and Sh5,141.

The increment reflects a 9.5 per cent to 2.4 per cent salary increase in tutors’ salaries. Details released by Dr Macharia show the salaries across each job group.

The deal was signed on Monday by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).

The lowest paid teachers under B5, categorised as Primary Teacher II, and presently taking home Sh21,796 will now earn Sh22,793. This translates to a salary raise of Sh1,037.

The highest-paid teacher under this category, presently earning Sh27,195, will now take home Sh28,491. This reflects an increase of Sh1,296.

They are followed by teachers who fall under C1 and categorised as Primary Teacher I, Lecturer III and Secondary Teacher III. The lowest-paid teachers under this category, who presently earn Sh27,195, will now take home Sh28,491, an increase of Sh1,296.

The highest-paid teachers under the same category and who earn Sh33,994 will have a raise of Sh1,620 to earn Sh35,614.

Group C2 teachers, categorised as Senior Teacher II, Lecturer II, Special Needs Education Teacher II and Secondary Teacher II, will get a pay increment of between Sh1,666 and Sh3,677.

The lowest-paid teacher under this group earns Sh34,955 and will take home Sh36,621. The highest paid under the same group who presently earns Sh43, 694 will take home Sh45, 776.

Job group C3 will receive a raise of between Sh1,258 and Sh2,571; they include Senior Teacher I, Special Needs Education Teacher II – Secondary, Special Needs Education Teacher I - Primary, Lecturer I and Secondary Teacher I.

Teachers in job group C4 include Senior Lecturer IV, Senior Master IV, Special needs education Senior Teacher in Primary and Secondary schools, and Deputy Headteacher II and will receive a pay rise of Sh2276 and Sh1,835

Those under category C5, which includes Senior Master III, Senior Lecturer III, Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher I and Curriculum Support Officer II, will receive a pay increase of Sh139 and Sh2,498. Some of the teachers under this category will get a low increment as two levels have been merged within the same job group.

Job group D1 which includes Senior Master II, Deputy Principal III, Senior Headteacher, Senior Lecturer II, and Curriculum Support Officer I, will get an increment of between Sh785 and Sh1,693.

Deputy Principal II, Senior Master I, and Senior Lecturer I are classified in job group D2 and will get Sh1,078 and Sh1,302.

Principal and Deputy Principal 1 are classified in Grade D3 and will get a raise of between 538 and Sh1,496; while Senior Principals ranked in job group D4 will receive Sh282, and 1690 increase.

Chief Principals are in job group D5 and will get Sh4,367 and Sh1,878.

The teachers will also get the routine annual increment that the commission tops up to tutors to caution them over the rising cost of living.

But this is not all. Teachers in rural areas will also get improved house allowance. They will now get a house allowance of between Sh3,850 and Sh25,000. Previously, they got between Sh3,850 and Sh21,508.

However, teachers in Nairobi will get a house allowance of between Sh6,750 and Sh50,000.

Those in other major towns will take home Sh4,500 and Sh35,000.