Kuppet, TSC agree on promotion of 30,000 teachers

KUPPET National Chairman Milemba Omboko flanked by senior officials address the press in Naivasha after a meeting with TSC where it was agreed that a further 20,000 teachers would be employed this year. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have reached an agreement to promote over 30,000 teachers who had stagnated in one position for over seven years.

TSC will also recruit 20,000 teachers to address the shortage in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in a joint exercise that will cost the exchequer more than Sh7.8 billion.

This emerged at the end of a six-day engagement between Kuppet and the commission at Sawela Lodge in Naivasha.

Interestingly, senior TSC officials were conspicuously absent during a media briefing by the Kuppet National Executive Committee.

Kuppet National Chairman Milemba Omboko said that of the 50,000 teachers who had stagnated for years, 30,000 would benefit from promotions in the coming financial year.

Omboko noted that since 2017, the majority of teachers had not been promoted and the Naivasha meeting had resolved to address the matter with effect from June.

He said that Sh4 billion would be required to recruit 20,000 teachers to address the crisis in JSS across the country.

Flanked by the top union officials, Omboko said that the government had promised to re-look the teachers medical cover.

“The government will look at the implementation of new Group Life Cover, Group Personal Accident Cover and Work Injury Benefits insurance for teachers as part of the medical scheme,” he said.

Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori noted that out of the 20,000 teachers who would be employed in JSS, 2,000 would be posted to Asal regions.

He revealed that TSC had agreed that in January 2025, it would convert all the 26,000 intern teachers recruited in 2023 to permanent and pensionable terms.   

“TSC has agreed to the union’s demand to review the Career Progression Guidelines that have contributed to stagnation among teachers and to develop new career Guidelines through public participation,” he said.

Misori announced that the union was satisfied by the recent promotion of over 50,000 teachers after an audit indicated that only 14 cases had issues.

“The commission has addressed our concerns about the promotion of teachers not in the payroll and explained the remedy for 14 teachers who earned the promotion while not being in the payroll,” he said.

He expressed concern over poor staffing of schools, in particular JSS where only two teachers per stream were currently handling all the learning areas.

“The Commission will seek an allocation of Sh1 billion for the promotion of 30,000 teachers who have stagnated for years,” he said.

On delayed pension for teachers, Misori said that TSC was working jointly with the Department of Pensions on administrative action to hasten the process.