Those present during the meeting included Knut, Kuppet, Kepsha, Kessha, and Kusnet members.
Take note of these abbreviations
Knut – Kenya National Union of Teachers
Kuppet – Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers
Kepsha – Kenya Primary School Heads Association
Kessha – Kenya Secondary School Heads Association
Kusnet – Kenya Union of Special Education Teachers
A number of things came out during the meeting which was full of expectations.
1) President Ruto honoured teachers and valued their work
Ruto acknowledged that teachers are the cornerstone for the country economy to thrive and jump ship from third world to first world.
He compared Singapore which looked like a slum and was in same state as Kenya sixty years ago but has now transformed immensely largely due to education and good governance.
“Teachers are Kenya’s greatest resource and patriots. They spend extra hours shaping the destiny of our children. We are indebted to these heroes,” said President Ruto.
2) 23,000 CBC classrooms built, Open University and TVET and University funding
“That is not all. We have built 23,000 classrooms, established the Open University of Kenya, and introduced a student-centred higher education funding model that supports learners while increasing resources for universities and TVETs,” he said.
3) Teacher hiring to hit 100,000 by January 2026
“We have also addressed concerns over the Competency-Based Curriculum, injecting clarity and smooth transition and hired 76,000 teachers. We will enhance this figure to 100,000 by January to boost the teacher-student ratio,” he said.
4) Education funding increased to sh 702 billion
“In the last three years, we have increased the education budget from Sh540 Billion to Sh702 Billion, the largest increase in our history,” he said.
The government will introduce a minimum package in the form of capitation for schools with fewer learners, ensuring that such schools remain functional and sustainable.
5) Delocalization to be completely eliminated
President Ruto has directed a review to eliminate any remaining vestiges of teacher delocalisation.
6) Analyze total unemployed teachers aged 45 and above
He has also ordered the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to analyse how many teachers aged 45 and above remain unposted.
7) Increase teacher promotions to 50,000 per year
Ruto has promised to increase the promotion slots from 25.000 to 50,000, with funding raised from Sh1 billion to Sh2 billion.
8) Establish CBE Centres
Ruto has promised to approve the proposal to establish centres in every sub-county to support CBE curriculum delivery.
9) Teachers to get 20% of all Housing Units
The President has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with teachers to allocate 20 per cent of the Affordable housing units to teachers.
Teachers will now benefit from the government’s housing project, with 20% of the housing units set aside specifically for them.
9) Promotion of all SNE teachers
The President has promised to promote all teachers with special needs by one grade. The teachers had asked for at least promotion by two job grades.
10) Hasten NSSF benefits
Ruto has promised to ensure NSSF benefits are ready within ten working days, with a goal of reducing this to one day.
Teachers’ retirement benefits will now be processed and paid within one day after retirement.
He also promised to replace the fixed Sh200 NSSF contribution with a 6 per cent employee contribution and a matching 6 per cent from the government to guarantee a decent retirement package.
11) Review to give teachers better medical cover
The government will review the current teachers’ medical cover to ensure it is aligned with the present health needs of teachers and their families.
12) Recruitment of TVET Teachers
The government has committed to employing between 3,000 to 4,000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teachers by January to bridge the staffing gap in technical institutions.
13) Shorten CBA Implementation Period to 2 years
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC), in collaboration with teachers’ unions KNUT, KUPPET, KESSHA, KEPSHA, will review the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) implementation phases. The timeline will be reduced from four years to two years to enable teachers to enjoy benefits within a shorter period.
14) Sessional Paper
A sessional paper will be submitted within 45 days to support proposed education reforms.
15) Sports Capitation
Additional funding to be allocated for sports to support Competency-Based Education (CBE).
16) Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) will continue to be domiciled in Primary schools with the name soon changing to Comprehensive school.