KUPPET Update: September Strike by Teachers
A statewide teachers’ strike, set to begin in September, has been threatened by the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET). The strike is in response to the government’s refusal to implement the second phase of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was scheduled to take effect in July.
KUPPET has expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing cuts to the education budget, while other sectors are perceived to be wasting money. KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori stated, “Teachers have received their July payment without their deserved increment, which were already negotiated, signed, and deposited in the Industrial and Labour Relations Court.”
The union highlighted the government’s recent financial decisions, which have further strained the education sector. Last year, the government increased university and college fees, aiming to alleviate financial pressure on institutions. However, this move has exacerbated the situation, with university liabilities rising sharply from Sh61 billion to Sh75 billion, and delays in student loans further compounding the issue.
High Inflation Factors
Additionally, the government has reduced Free Day Secondary School (FDSE) capitation funds by 24 percent, from Sh22,244 per learner per year to Sh17,000. This reduction comes despite repeated calls from principals and education stakeholders for an increase to counter high inflation over the past seven years. The situation is further strained by the government’s decision to retract its commitment to hiring 20,000 new teachers and converting 46,000 intern teachers to permanent, pensionable positions, with a budget of Sh18 billion. This contrasts sharply with the Sh54 billion allocated for state officers’ entertainment and travel.
Misori noted that earlier this year, the government discontinued the Edu-Afya medical insurance program, which had previously covered approximately 3.5 million public secondary school students. Funded by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), the program provided Sh1,350 in premiums for each student. The removal of this crucial program has had a profound negative impact on many students and their families, increasing the financial burden on parents and affecting students’ overall well-being and access to necessary medical care.
Structural Adjustment Programmes
KUPPET’s National Governing Council is convening to address what it describes as unprecedented cuts to the education budget. The union noted that the scale of these reductions is deemed unparalleled in Kenya’s history, even surpassing the impact of the Structural Adjustment Programmes of the mid-1980s. The budget cuts and the broken CBA agreement are seen as severely detrimental to the education sector, particularly at the Junior Secondary School (JSS) level, which is already grappling with a teacher deficit of more than 87,000.
In response, KUPPET is mobilizing its organs for a national strike scheduled to begin in September. The strike aims to push for the full implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA, the hiring of 20,000 new teachers, and the conversion of 46,000 intern teachers to permanent positions. The union’s leadership asserts that these measures are crucial to safeguarding teachers’ rights and improving the education system amid growing challenges.
Misori emphasized, “This kind of wastage is unacceptable to Kenyan and indeed all right-thinking Kenyans. The Sh18 billion cut would irreparably affect teaching in Junior Secondary Schools which depend on intern teachers and where the teacher deficit currently stands at more than 87,000.”
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