Secondary school teachers want Kuppet leadership overhauled

The teachers have cited a lack of promotions as one of the main challenges facing them.

by ALICE WAITHERA

News04 September 2025 - 07:30

In Summary

They said only 5,000 secondary school teachers were promoted, compared to 15,000 primary school teachers who are members of the Kenya National Union of Teachers.
The delayed promotions have seen teachers stagnating in one job group for over a decade, they said, blaming it on the ineffectiveness of Kuppet’s leadership.

Secondary school teachers from Kirinyaga County want their union’s leadership overhauled over its failure to adequately fight for their interests.

The teachers, who are members of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, have cited a lack of promotions as one of the main challenges facing them.

They said only 5,000 secondary school teachers were promoted, compared to 15,000 primary school teachers who are members of the Kenya National Union of Teachers.

The delayed promotions have seen teachers stagnating in one job group for over a decade, they said, blaming it on the ineffectiveness of Kuppet’s leadership.

Jacob Murigi, a teacher at Nyagithuchi Secondary School, said the union has ignored issues facing them for a long time, calling for change from the county to the national level.

“Teachers Service Commission recently released a promotion list and out of over 300,000 teachers, only 5,000 got promoted. That is an injustice,” he said.

Murigi said that despite the high cost of living and lack of promotions, teachers are now forced to pay out-of-pocket for their medical bills despite having a medical cover.

“The medical health insurance that was negotiated between Kuppet and TSC has been ineffective. We’re now being forced to pay cash for medical care despite the Sh5,000 monthly deductions from our pay slips,” he said.

This, he noted, has left teachers grappling with high medical bills, especially those seeking in-patient medical care, forcing them to depend on fund-raising.

“This is why we feel like our union has let us down and the current leadership should go because it has been unable to ably represent us. We want a teacher-friendly union that is concerned with our welfare.”

The union, he added, also negotiated for a salary increment that was touted as the best for common teachers, but some received as low as Sh36 while the maximum increment received was Sh1,000.

Charles Mutuku from Rukenya Secondary School said they will join hands to ensure Kuppet leaders are sent home and a new team elected.

In Kirinyaga county, he said, the union is still operating from rented premises and has occasioned minimal development despite receiving up to Sh10 million monthly.

Other branches, he noted, have since procured buses and constructed permanent offices.

He wondered why the branch is yet to list accredited health facilities for easier access by teachers.

With the high prevalence of non-communicable illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension, Mutuku called for the listing of facilities with specialised services such as oncology.

“This is for the dignity of the teacher who contributes to sustain the union. If they are not able to represent us, we can bring a new team which will fight for us.”