Why Knut wants immediate job evaluation for teachers

Knut First Vice National chairman Malel Langat (left) with Secretary General Collins Oyuu and other officials during a meeting a State House late last year/PCS

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has renewed pressure on the government to fast-track job evaluation in the public teaching service, warning that thousands of teachers remain stuck in the same grades and salary scales.

This, it said, despite teachers taking on expanded duties under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

Union’s First Vice National Chairman Malel Langat said the union is pushing for what it calls an “immediate and comprehensive job evaluation” for teachers and Curriculum Support Officers.

He argued that the current framework has fallen behind the realities of modern classrooms and the burden placed on teachers by ongoing education reforms.

Malel, who spoke at City Primary School in Nairobi, where he oversaw the Knut Nairobi branch general elections, blamed the stagnation crisis squarely on the implementation of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG).

He said the scheme has failed to keep up with promotions, skill development, and the expanded workload created by the CBE rollout.

“Implementation of CPG has led to stagnation of teachers,” he said. 

"A review must be done to address stagnation and ensure promotions, especially where stagnation has been the order of the day.”

According to Malel, the issue was escalated to the highest level last year, when teachers held a rare forum with President William Ruto at State House.

“During the State House ‘walimu na Rais’ forum last year, the President directed an immediate review within 60 days. Five months down the line we are yet to see tangible action,” he said, questioning the slow pace of implementation.

Malel argued that Kenya’s transition into a competency-based system has quietly created new job roles within the basic education sector, including fresh learning areas, additional assessment responsibilities, and new administrative demands on schools.

“In the wake of Competency Based Education, we beseech SRC to evaluate the new jobs in the teaching service following the rollout of CBE,” he said, adding that this calls for immediate job evaluation.

He said Knut expects the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to formally recognise and cost the new roles, saying teachers are effectively performing advanced work without commensurate compensation.

Malel rooted the union’s demands in labour and constitutional principles, citing the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Employment Act, and the SRC Act, which anchor the doctrine of “equal remuneration for work of equal value.”

“Our members must get commensurate pay where the salary offered for current CBE jobs is appropriate and in line with teachers’ skills, experience, qualifications, and requirements for the role,” he said.

He insisted the law compels the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to compensate teachers for the precise value of work performed under CBE, including workload, professional qualification, competencies, and environmental challenges.

Article 41 guarantees every worker fair labour practices, including fair remuneration, while Section 5(5) of the Employment Act requires equal pay for equal work, making the matter not merely industrial but legal.

Malel noted that the last job evaluation in the teaching service was conducted in 2015-16, before the rollout of the competency-based curriculum, and therefore did not capture the additional responsibilities demanded by the new model.

Teachers, he said, have since upgraded their qualifications in readiness for reform, advancing to diploma, degree, masters and PhD levels and undergoing retooling by TSC.

Langat singled out heads of institutions for specific recognition, saying primary school heads are now effectively managing two institutions, the primary section and junior school, with no specialised portfolios to reflect the expanded authority.

“Heads are administrators running two schools in one. They should be compensated. In fact, most have acquired postgraduate qualifications,” he said.

To break the deadlock, Knut wants TSC to constitute a Job Evaluation and Job Description Analysis Committee, where unions participate as prime stakeholders.

The union expects the exercise to be done within the framework of the 2025-29 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), particularly Sections 24.1 and 24.2, which allow modification once SRC issues recommendations.

“We implore SRC to provide direction on job descriptions, which is critical to evaluation. TSC must then modify the CBA accordingly,” Langat said.

According to Malel, no education reform will succeed without motivated teachers.

“Teachers are a fundamental condition for guaranteeing quality education. They must be empowered, adequately recruited and remunerated, motivated, and professionally supported within well-resourced systems,” he said.

During the election, Kasina Nyamai was elected the chairman, Mugwe Macharia (executive secretary), Hannington Odhiambo as treasurer and Jane Ochwedo (woman representative).