Teachers are angry with their unions. This is after the government awarded hefty salary increments to junior police officers.
Teachers are outraged after the lowest police constable got Ksh 18,000 payrise. This is despite the officers lacking a trade union to represent them.
Police officers in lower ranks are the main beneficiaries of the new salary payments directed by President William Ruto. The last phase will be implemented this July.
In the proposed pay raise, a National Police Service officer serving in the lowest cadre, a constable, will now earn a maximum of Ksh 57,700 up from Ksh 38,975, representing a raise of 48 per cent.
A similar cap has been implemented for their equivalent officer in the Kenya Prisons Service.
Constables graduating from various police training colleges will now get a starting salary of Ksh 29,296 up from Ksh 20, 390 earned by their colleagues before July, 2024. This represents a salary raise of 44 per cent.
The NYS officers in the lowest cadre will get a minimum of Ksh 26,222 and a maximum of Ksh 37,912.
Prior to the implementation of the new salary policy, the officers earned a minimum of Sh 19,800 and a maximum of 32, 315.
Once fully effected, the highest serving Police Officer will earn a maximum monthly basic pay of Ksh 345,850 up from Ksh 289,090 representing a 20 per cent increase.
The highest paid officers of the KPS will now earn a minimum of Ksh 301,548 and a maximum of Ksh 584,903 up from a previous minimum of Ksh 292,765 and a maximum of Ksh 576,120. This is a similar case to their contemporary in NYS.
Officers from all three services started earning the raised pay when the Government announced that all officers in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service would get a salary raise to be paid in phases effective July 1, 2024.
This announcement follows a meeting of the National Steering Committee on the implementation of reforms in the NPS, KPS and NYS, chaired by the Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Dr. Raymond Omollo.
The committee reviewed the progress made and noted that this will be the highest cumulative pay increases for officers over three consecutive years since independence.
Overall, the three institutions have now implemented more than 50 percent of the planned reform actions.
The National Police Service leads with 57.2 percent overall implementation, while the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service are progressing at comparable levels.
When teachers unions met with the teachers employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) last year and agreed on four year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teachers were awarded sh 8.4 Billion for the CBA that came effective from 1st July, 2025.
“In order to address the concerns raised by teachers through their unions, and after elaborate negotiations, the Commission has awarded a salary increment of up to 29.5% for our various cadres of staff,” TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi said in a circular dated 18th July 2025.
However teachers did not see any meaningful increment when the first phase of the CBA was paid.
Some teachers received less than five hundred shillings that led to widespread condemnation of the CBA.
Teachers have termed Knut and Kuppet, as yellow unions which are only concerned with union dues and not general teachers welfare.
However when teachers unions met President William Ruto at State House in September last year, he promised to shorten implementation of their current CBA.
TSC, in collaboration with teachers’ unions KNUT, KUPPET, KESSHA, KEPSHA, will review the current CBA implementation phases.
The timeline will be reduced from four years to two years to enable teachers to enjoy benefits within a shorter period.