Ogamba: Ministry committed to working with teachers’ unions to safeguard welfare

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba holds a consultative meeting with the National Executive Board of Kuppet at Jogoo House, Septermber 3, 2026. /MoE

The Ministry of Education has pledged to work closely with teachers’ unions to safeguard teachers’ welfare and sustain industrial harmony amid persistent agitation over pay, promotions and working conditions.

The assurance followed a consultative meeting between Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and officials of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) at Jogoo House B in Nairobi on Thursday.

The meeting came as Kuppet presses the government to address a raft of outstanding grievances, including stalled teacher promotions, salary disparities, the implementation of new career progression guidelines and challenges surrounding the Social Health Authority (SHA) medical cover.

The union has also raised concerns over inadequate school capitation, warning that the funding shortfall is leaving public schools struggling to meet basic operational costs, including food, electricity, water and learning materials during the crucial examination term.

Although the statutory annual allocation is Sh22,244 per learner, schools have received about Sh16,000, taking into account the latest Sh18.5 billion disbursed for the third term.

Kuppet has separately faulted the government over the pace of teacher promotions.

The union says the government had committed to promoting 50,000 teachers, but only about 34,000 positions have so far been addressed, leaving 16,000 qualified teachers stagnated in their current job groups.

The union has also raised concern over delays by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission in approving and budgeting for the proposed 2026 Career Progression Guidelines.

The guidelines are intended to provide teachers with shorter pathways to senior positions without requiring them to leave classroom teaching.

Kuppet is also pushing for the reopening and review of its 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), arguing that pay increments awarded to other public servants have widened disparities with teachers in equivalent job groups.

The union has rejected recent salary reviews as inadequate in the face of rising living costs.

Kuppet has also accused the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) of unfair labour practices and is demanding transparent contracts, better pay for contracted examination personnel and settlement of outstanding payments before teachers take part in the 2026 national examinations.

On healthcare, the union says teachers have reported service failures under the SHA system, including delayed authorisations and restrictive limits on some critical medical services.

The union wants the ministry to intervene. Ogamba's meeting with Kuppet leadership, led by secretary general Akelo Misori, comes as the government seeks to prevent the grievances from escalating into a strike.

Any form of industrial action from teachers could greatly disrupt learning during the critical final school term where schools are preparing for national exams and assessments.

In a statement, the ministry said the consultations focused on teacher welfare and measures to enhance access to quality basic education, signalling an effort to address concerns through dialogue rather than industrial confrontation.