The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is set to pay teachers June salaries. The salaries will come early especially after the budget was read.

The Treasury CS John Mbadi read the national budget on 12th June paving way for June salaries as the financial year 2024 to 2025 is set to end on 30th June.

Usually June salaries are paid between date 18th and 22nd of the month of June.

Sources have indicated that the Commission will clear a number of teachers pending bills also as new changes are set to set in.

Among the bills to be cleared include arrears for teachers who were deployed to various cadres, hardship allowance arrears for teachers transferred to hardship regions, arrears for special school teachers among others.

However a section of teachers will suffer as TSC plans to scrap hardship allowance for a number of regions inline with Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) advisory.

TSC top officials will meet the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly regarding the criteria used in designating hardship zones across the country.

This decision was made during a session chaired by Hon. Edith Nyenze (Kitui West), following a petition by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) from Machakos County.

The petition, presented by Hon. Vincent Musyoka (Mwala), raised concerns that Mwala and Kalama Sub-counties are excluded from the list of hardship areas, despite facing similar challenges as neighboring zones that qualify.

“As a Committee, we will meet TSC leadership and even the SRC to find out the criteria they use to categorize areas as hardship zones,” said Hon. Nyenze.

The petitioners noted that teachers in the two sub-counties are denied hardship allowances, even though they are surrounded by regions that are already gazetted as hardship areas.

“Mwala is geographically located in the midst of Yatta, Kitui Rural and Mbooni East which are all hardship zones,” said Hon. Musyoka.

“In Kalama Sub-county, teachers in 33 public secondary schools are entitled to hardship allowance, while 9 schools have been left out,” he added.

However teachers are without a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that would open doors for salary increment.

In the budget read no allocation was made for teachers salary increment as is the norm.

Talks on CBA 2025 – 2029 stalled and teachers unions have threatened a nationwide strike.

The CBA 2025 – 2029 is what is said to have led TSC CEO Nancy Macharia to flee to protect her image by taking a terminal leave before her ten year tenure retirement on 30th June.

Teachers’ unions have warned of disruptions to learning in public schools following a deadlock over negotiations for a new CBA, with the government that would see teachers’ salaries raised.

The current CBA 2021 – 2025 will expire on 30th June 2025. Only a new CBA will allow teachers to have a payrise.

To compound the problem, there is no provision for improved salaries for teachers in the 2025 -2026 budget.

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) have all issued firm demands to the TSC, urging the employer to begin negotiations immediately or face industrial action.

“We submitted our proposals months ago, but instead of engaging, the TSC continues to hide behind
the ‘waiting for advice from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC)’ as an excuse’,” said Knut deputy secretary Hesbon Otieno.

Senior officials of the TSC appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee on May 13
to present the 2025 – 2026 budget estimates, only to reveal that no funds have been allocated for another CBA.

“Key areas that are not funded at all in the 2025 – 2026 budget for the TSC include the financial requirement for the CBA that is under negotiation,” said Cheptumo Ayabei, TSC’s
director of finance.

Knut is demanding a 60 percent adjustment in basic salaries over the four-year period, pegged on inflation, alongside a 30 percent increase in allowances.

Kuppet secretary-general Akelo Misori expressed his concern over the lack of engagement.

“The commission is fully constituted and what we now need is for the acting CEO, Evaleen Jesang Mitei to initiate talks” he said.

Kusnet secretary-general James Torome, said the union has not received any update from the TSC since
July 2024, when the commission acknowledged receiving their proposals.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is set to pay teachers June salaries. The salaries will come early especially after the budget was read.

The Treasury CS John Mbadi read the national budget on 12th June paving way for June salaries as the financial year 2024 to 2025 is set to end on 30th June.

Usually June salaries are paid between date 18th and 22nd of the month of June.

Sources have indicated that the Commission will clear a number of teachers pending bills also as new changes are set to set in.

Among the bills to be cleared include arrears for teachers who were deployed to various cadres, hardship allowance arrears for teachers transferred to hardship regions, arrears for special school teachers among others.

However a section of teachers will suffer as TSC plans to scrap hardship allowance for a number of regions inline with Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) advisory.

TSC top officials will meet the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly regarding the criteria used in designating hardship zones across the country.

This decision was made during a session chaired by Hon. Edith Nyenze (Kitui West), following a petition by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) from Machakos County.

The petition, presented by Hon. Vincent Musyoka (Mwala), raised concerns that Mwala and Kalama Sub-counties are excluded from the list of hardship areas, despite facing similar challenges as neighboring zones that qualify.

“As a Committee, we will meet TSC leadership and even the SRC to find out the criteria they use to categorize areas as hardship zones,” said Hon. Nyenze.

The petitioners noted that teachers in the two sub-counties are denied hardship allowances, even though they are surrounded by regions that are already gazetted as hardship areas.

“Mwala is geographically located in the midst of Yatta, Kitui Rural and Mbooni East which are all hardship zones,” said Hon. Musyoka.

“In Kalama Sub-county, teachers in 33 public secondary schools are entitled to hardship allowance, while 9 schools have been left out,” he added.

However teachers are without a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that would open doors for salary increment.

In the budget read no allocation was made for teachers salary increment as is the norm.

Talks on CBA 2025 – 2029 stalled and teachers unions have threatened a nationwide strike.

The CBA 2025 – 2029 is what is said to have led TSC CEO Nancy Macharia to flee to protect her image by taking a terminal leave before her ten year tenure retirement on 30th June.

Teachers’ unions have warned of disruptions to learning in public schools following a deadlock over negotiations for a new CBA, with the government that would see teachers’ salaries raised.

The current CBA 2021 – 2025 will expire on 30th June 2025. Only a new CBA will allow teachers to have a payrise.

To compound the problem, there is no provision for improved salaries for teachers in the 2025 -2026 budget.

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) have all issued firm demands to the TSC, urging the employer to begin negotiations immediately or face industrial action.

“We submitted our proposals months ago, but instead of engaging, the TSC continues to hide behind
the ‘waiting for advice from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC)’ as an excuse’,” said Knut deputy secretary Hesbon Otieno.

Senior officials of the TSC appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee on May 13
to present the 2025 – 2026 budget estimates, only to reveal that no funds have been allocated for another CBA.

“Key areas that are not funded at all in the 2025 – 2026 budget for the TSC include the financial requirement for the CBA that is under negotiation,” said Cheptumo Ayabei, TSC’s
director of finance.

Knut is demanding a 60 percent adjustment in basic salaries over the four-year period, pegged on inflation, alongside a 30 percent increase in allowances.

Kuppet secretary-general Akelo Misori expressed his concern over the lack of engagement.

“The commission is fully constituted and what we now need is for the acting CEO, Evaleen Jesang Mitei to initiate talks” he said.

Kusnet secretary-general James Torome, said the union has not received any update from the TSC since
July 2024, when the commission acknowledged receiving their proposals.