Teachers Set For Pay Rise As TSC Signs New Sh33 Billion Deal With Unions

Teachers across the country are expected to benefit from a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET). The deal, worth Sh33 billion, will run from 2025 to 2029.

Under the new agreement, teachers in the highest job group (D5) will see their salaries rise to Sh167,415, representing a 5 per cent increase. The deal also includes a 29.6 per cent salary boost for the lowest-paid teachers, currently earning about Sh23,000, who will now take home approximately Sh29,000.

The agreement was reached during extensive discussions at the Kenya Institute of Special Education in Kasarani on Friday, July 18. It outlines a gradual salary increase spread across five years, with an annual adjustment budget of Sh8.4 billion.

Implementation begins immediately, and teachers are expected to receive the new pay by the end of July. According to the CBA, teachers in job group C1 will now earn between Sh35,300 and Sh47,300, while those in C2 will receive between Sh41,400 and Sh57,200.

Teachers in job group C3 will earn from Sh49,800 to Sh66,200, and those in C4 will take home between Sh58,600 and Sh77,100. Job group C5 teachers are set to earn between Sh69,700 and Sh96,100. Teachers in job group D1 will receive between Sh81,000 and Sh99,300.

In higher job groups, teachers in D2 will earn from Sh95,300 to Sh116,000. Those in D3 will receive between Sh109,200 and Sh133,300, while D4 teachers will be paid between Sh121,800 and Sh150,700.

Speaking after the signing, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said the new deal addresses previous pay imbalances. He recalled that in the 2016–2021 CBA, school administrators were the biggest beneficiaries, while classroom teachers were largely left out. The current agreement shifts the focus back to the classroom.

Although allowances remain largely unchanged, the unions and TSC agreed to phase out the controversial Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), which teachers have long opposed for being rigid and unclear.

The new deal follows a meeting between TSC and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) earlier in the week, where a counter-offer to teachers’ demands was agreed upon.