Nairobi Junior school teachers stage a peaceful demonstration outside Parliament demanding absorption into permanent and pensionable employment, April 27, 2026. /DOUGLAS OKIDDY


Junior school teachers have followed through on their threat to disrupt learning at the start of the second term, staging protests in Nairobi and across several counties over employment terms, medical cover and delayed job confirmations.

The educators are demanding permanent and pensionable employment, a more comprehensive health insurance scheme amid concerns over the Social Health Authority (SHA), and administrative autonomy separate from primary schools where junior sections are currently domiciled.

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The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) had warned last week that industrial action would interfere with school reopening unless the grievances were addressed, setting the stage for Monday’s demonstrations.

In Nairobi, the teachers—armed with placards and blowing vuvuzelas and whistles—marched peacefully from through the streets before walking to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) headquarters in Upper Hill, calling for urgent intervention.

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Central to their demands is the implementation of a February 27 Court of Appeal ruling that declared the internship programme unconstitutional, illegal, and discriminatory, forcing a review of the status of over 44,000 junior school interns.

The court ordered that interns should not be used for permanent staffing gaps and directed they be compensated and confirmed into permanent roles.

TSC had employed them on Sh20,000 monthly stipends, dropping to Sh17,000 take-home after statutory deductions.

The teachers insist that the commission must comply with the judgment and confirm them into permanent positions.

The strike unfolded simultaneously across counties, with KUPPET officials leading demonstrations and warning that the action could escalate if their concerns remain unaddressed.

“Teachers want to be confirmed. It has been announced through the courts that it is illegal for teachers to be interns and therefore, as teachers of Bungoma county, if they cannot be confirmed by the end of this month, or by the end of this week, definitely we shall come to the streets. We shall not come for demonstrations but we shall come for the strike now,” a teachers’ spokesperson said in Bungoma.

The spokesperson added that although the President had promised full autonomy for Junior schools by the second term, implementation had stalled within the Ministry of Education.

“We don’t want to blame our President. He (the Cabinet Secretary) must act with immediate effect on the orders that he got from the President,” he said.

Teachers argue that despite handling both Junior and Senior school classes, Junior school remains under the control of primary school administrators, while Senior school are managed independently under secondary school management.

“We want to take positions as principals and deputy principals. Autonomy is a must; that is an idea whose time has come,” the spokesperson said.

On healthcare, the teachers faulted the SHA system, saying their contributions to the universal health scheme are higher than what they previously remitted under Minet, yet the benefits have diminished—pointing to the Sh1,200 outpatient allocation, which they say barely covers mandatory consultation fees.

Amid the dispute, the Ministry of Health has maintained that healthcare delivery to civil servants under the Public Officers Medical Scheme Fund (POMSF) has been enhanced.

The ministry announced reforms, including the removal of the tariff-locking mechanism within the SHA system to improve access to care.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said last Thursday that the “walk-in, walk-out” principle under POMSF, with zero co-payments, would apply in contracted facilities, warning that violations would attract enforcement action, including decontracting.

“Civil servants’ medical benefits remain unchanged. Existing limits, including outpatient cover above Sh70,000 depending on job group, as well as optical and dental benefits, remain fully intact for all principal members and their dependents,” Duale said.

If the strike persists, it is likely to significantly disrupt learning in the second term—a demanding 14-week period typically used to complete syllabuses and prepare candidates for national examinations scheduled for November.