The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has called off its week-long strike following a series of intense negotiations with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
However, the decision to suspend the strike appears to result from a more strategic move by the TSC.
Last week, the TSC stopped collecting union dues directly from teachers’ salaries, a crucial funding source for Kuppet. This strategy, which effectively deprived the union of its primary financial support, put Kuppet in a difficult position and forced the union to reconsider its stance.
“The suspension of the strike comes after significant discussions with the TSC and in compliance with a court order,” Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori said. “We are now focusing on resolving the remaining issues and urge all our teachers to return to their classrooms.”
In a joint press conference, TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia confirmed the suspension of the strike and expressed satisfaction with the resolution process.
“After a daylong meeting, we are happy to report to the nation that we have reached an amicable settlement that will enable our teachers to resume duty immediately,” Dr Macharia said.
She stated that the government had fulfilled its obligations under the 2021-25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and added that no teacher would be victimized for participating in the strike.
Kuppet teachers have been on strike since August 26, pushing for the promotion of 130,000 teachers, permanent positions for 46,000 JSS teachers, and the remittance of statutory deductions and loans.
They also sought the full implementation of their 2021-25 CBA, payment of all July emoluments, and the release of Sh15 billion for medical coverage.
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On August 27, the High Court, under Justice James Rika of the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi, issued orders suspending the post-primary education teachers’ strike called by Kuppet.
The court acted swiftly after the TSC filed an urgent petition, halting the strike pending a full hearing and determination of the case.
However, the following day, Mr Misori instructed teachers to disregard the court’s directive, as the strike was already in progress.
“The court talked about the intended strike yet the strike had already begun. The TSC went to court on Tuesday when the strike had already started, so we cannot call it off,” he said.
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