Unpaid teachers, striking lecturers: Inside the wage bill burden on education

Kenya’s education sector continues to struggle, with challenges emerging at every level of learning.

The recent lecturers’ strike, which paralysed public universities for seven weeks, exposed the depth of the crisis and the urgent need for decisive government action.

This strike came barely months after public school teachers also downed their tools, demanding better pay.

Yet the irony is striking: even as teachers and lecturers plead for decent pay, Kenya’s public wage bill remains among the highest in the region, consistently exceeding recommended thresholds.

According to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, the government spends Sh80 billion every month on salaries for public servants, amounting to Sh960 billion annually. Mbadi warns that this trend is unsustainable, with the wage bill consuming resources that should go to critical national priorities.

As salaries eat into the budget, development projects, including classrooms, laboratories, and essential school infrastructure, are left starved of funding. For learners like Gift Muema, a Grade 8 pupil from Riruta, the consequences are real.

“I ask our government to make our education a reality, not words on paper. Build more public schools, equip them, and staff them well. End ghost learners and corruption. Let every child enjoy their right to education.”

Another student echoed the same frustration, saying:

“Our parents are trying their best, but they cannot do it alone. When you invest in public education, you invest in Kenya’s future.”

Cindy Moraa, a Junior Secondary School learner from Kajiado West, added:

“When you invest in us, you invest in peace and justice. Let public education work, be strong and free for every child, including me.”

In Mathare, the problem is even more glaring. Shannel Hellen, a Grade 5 pupil, questions why an entire ward lacks a single public school.

“In Mabatini ward, there is no public school. Yet leaders come to ask for votes. Are people in Mathare not taxpayers like other Kenyans?”

Education stakeholders say Kenya’s weak and unequal education system is worsening, partly due to poor planning and inadequate investment.

“If we don’t ask the government hard questions, who will?” Michele Baraka, from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, asks.

University student leaders say the situation has made education increasingly unaffordable.

The Secretary General of the University Student Leaders Association of Kenya (USLA), Carel Omwoyo, says many students are dropping out.

“Education in Kenya has become impotent. It’s been privatised and is too expensive. So many university students are dropping out because their parents cannot afford the fees.”

UNESCO continues to urge governments, including Kenya’s, to guarantee inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all through better funding, investment in teachers, and stronger regulation of non-state actors.

Johnston Shisanya from the East African Centre for Human Rights stresses that providing public, quality education is a state obligation.

“We are asking the government to ensure public education works and address the deep inequality caused by weak systems. Funds meant for schools must be released at the beginning of every term.”

For special needs education, the government is falling short. David Karani from the Elimu Bora Working Group says delays in learning materials and inadequate equipment continue to disadvantage learners.

“Special needs education is expensive. The State must equip special schools so learners are not left behind. Even textbooks for blind learners were delayed last year.”

Teachers’ unions are equally concerned.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu says more than 350,000 trained teachers are jobless, with some waiting up to 15 years for employment.

Even those employed are underpaid relative to their workload.

“No government can fully match a teacher’s worth. But what teachers earn now is far below expectations. The Teachers Service Commission cites underfunding, which affects Collective Bargaining Agreements,” Oyuu says.

Kenya’s teacher-to-pupil ratio stands at 1:70, far above UNESCO’s recommended 1:40, and teachers say this overload is harming learning outcomes.

Oyuu is urging the government to boost funding for the education sector, not only to hire more teachers, but also to stabilise the system and give learners the quality education they deserve.