The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu has defended the newly signed 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which has drawn criticism from some teachers.

Mr Oyuu described the deal with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) as a win, given the prevailing economic situation, though a section of teachers dismissed the salary increment as negligible.

“What needs to be understood is that this is a push and pull. The CBA has two components — monetary value and career progression guidelines — and we emerged victorious compared to previous negotiations. Let’s appreciate the little we received from the talks,” said Mr Oyuu on Saturday during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Knut Eldoret West branch.

He termed the 12–29.5 percent salary increment as a victory, saying teachers stand to gain significantly through Career-Based Growth provided for in the agreement.

“We received nothing in terms of monetary gain in the 2021–2025 CBA apart from paternity and maternity benefits, due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The recent negotiations are therefore a victory,” he said.

Some teachers, however, disagreed, saying the new deal offers too little.

“It is unfortunate that some teachers received less than Sh500 as a salary increment, which is too little to cope with the current economic constraints,” said one teacher, who requested anonymity.

Mr Oyuu noted that the increment will be progressive throughout the four years of the CBA cycle.

“Apart from the monetary component, teachers will also benefit from other elements in the CBA such as Career-Based Growth and job evaluation, which initially favoured head teachers and deputies in terms of promotions,” he explained.

He added that the government will not interfere with the hardship allowance in gazetted hardship areas in the four year.

The Knut boss also said the union will continue to work with the government to secure benefits for its members.

He called for a review of the Code of Regulations for Teachers, which he described as punitive in terms of promotions.

“Job evaluation for teachers needs to be fair, and promotion should be based on merit to motivate teachers to deliver,” said Mr Oyuu.

He further insisted that the medical cover for teachers should remain under Minet, arguing that the Social Health Authority (SHA) is currently unstable and unable to offer quality services.