Teachers across the country will receive a salary increase from July 1 after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) confirmed that the government has allocated Ksh8.4 billion to implement the latest phase of the teachers' Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Speaking on Friday, June 26, during the closing ceremony of the 49th Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Annual National Conference of Principals in Mombasa, TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi said the funds had already been released and assured teachers that the pay rise would be implemented as planned.
“We signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the unions, which has several implementation phases. We have been allocated Ksh8.4 billion for increasing teachers’ salaries from July 1, this year. That money has been allocated, and we will ensure that it is paid,” Muturi said.
Besides the salary increment, Muturi announced that the government has allocated KSh4.9 billion in the 2026/27 financial year to convert 24,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms, saying the move is aimed at improving teachers' welfare, motivation and retention.
The TSC chairperson also revealed that Ksh2 billion has been set aside for teacher promotions, with the commission expected to advertise more than 30,000 promotion vacancies in August.
According to Muturi, the promotions will cover teachers across grades C2, C3, D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, with successful candidates selected based on merit, performance, years of service and consideration for those who have stagnated in the same job group for long periods.
“That’s not a mean achievement, and it is out of the government’s desire to motivate our teachers that the promotions have been very forthcoming,” he said.
Muturi further disclosed that the education sector received about Ksh454 billion in the latest budget, with more than 98 per cent of the allocation going towards salaries for teachers and other education staff.
“It may sound as if there is not much being done, but that effort, to me, is exceeding expectations,” he added.
The announcements came days after TSC and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) signed a Memorandum of Understanding anchored on the CBA signed in July last year. The agreement, signed on June 18, is expected to simplify and speed up teacher promotions by eliminating lengthy approval processes.
Muturi also announced that TSC has completed a review of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), first introduced in 2016 under the 8-4-4 curriculum. The revised guidelines, developed in consultation with teachers' unions, the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) and the Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA), have been submitted to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and other government agencies for approval.
The proposed framework introduces a new TSC Scale (ST) salary structure that aligns teachers' job grades with specific salary bands. Under the new structure, teachers in Grade C1 (Teacher 8) will earn between Ksh29,787 and Ksh37,234, while Chief Principals in Grade D5 (ST1) will earn between Ksh131,380 and Ksh162,539.
Muturi said the revised guidelines will also establish a dual career pathway, allowing teachers to progress to the highest levels of the profession without necessarily becoming school administrators.
“We have teachers who are very gifted in their subject areas, but they may not be equally gifted to be school administrators. The new framework will allow them to grow to the highest possible level as classroom teachers,” he said.
Under the proposed system, teachers will be able to advance either as classroom practitioners or administrators. School heads will continue receiving management responsibility allowances, while teachers who opt to remain in classrooms will still enjoy career progression. Administrators who later choose to return to teaching will retain their substantive positions but forfeit the additional management allowance.
Meanwhile, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba directed the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to immediately publish and distribute learning materials for learners with special needs, including Braille books and other accessible resources, to strengthen inclusive education across the country.
