September 2, 2024 – Nairobi, Kenya: The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has officially called off its nationwide strike after reaching an agreement with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The strike, which began on August 26, had significantly disrupted secondary school education across the country.
The decision to suspend the strike was reached on Monday, September 2, 2024, after a marathon meeting between KUPPET representatives and TSC officials. According to KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori, the union decided to comply with a pending court order and to allow for a peaceful resolution of the remaining issues in dispute.
“We suspend the strike and ask all our teachers to go back to class pending the speedy resolution of these matters as already agreed upon between us and the commission,” Misori announced after the meeting.
The strike, which had entered its second week, had seen some schools sending students home as learning came to a halt. Teachers were pushing for several demands, including the promotion of 130,000 teachers, the absorption of 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent terms, and the full implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia confirmed that the government had allocated funds for implementing the second phase of the CBA, which includes settling all outstanding arrears. “The government has implemented all the provisions of the 2021-2025 CBA, with the second phase due on July 1, 2024, having been paid in August, along with all the arrears,” Macharia stated.
Additionally, the commission assured KUPPET that no teachers would face victimization for participating in the strike, a key concern that had been raised by the union.
As part of the agreement, KUPPET and TSC have agreed to pursue alternative dispute resolution mechanisms as provided for in their recognition agreement. The union has also stated that further communication will be made after a court ruling expected on September 5, 2024.
This development comes as a relief to the education sector, which had been on the brink of further disruptions. With teachers now returning to work, normalcy is expected to resume in schools across the country, allowing students to continue with their studies without further interruptions.
The agreement also applies to other teacher unions, including the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), who had been engaged in similar disputes with the TSC.
For now, all eyes will be on the upcoming court ruling, which could determine the final resolution of the remaining issues at hand.
