Teachers continue to stand firm, pressing for better pay after a week of strikes at the start of the Third Term. The government has acknowledged their concerns and pledged to raise salaries starting at the end of this month.
Upon closer examination of the salary increments across the teachers’ job groups, it has been determined that they will receive an additional Ksh.1,000 to Ksh.3,000 on their payslips within the next two days as August ends.
The second phase of salary increases, as outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed last year between teachers and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), was expected to begin last month. However, its implementation was delayed due to claims of insufficient government funds.
Following the industrial action witnessed this week, TSC has assured teachers that the government has already remitted KShs 13 billion to finance the increment.
As a result, the lowest-paid teacher at Grade B5 will now receive a basic salary of Ksh.23,830, an increase from Ksh.22,739.
A senior teacher at the primary school level, currently at grade C2, will see their basic salary increase from Ksh.45,776 to Ksh.47,858.
A teacher at the mid-grade of C5, including primary school head teachers, will see their maximum basic pay increase from Ksh.78,667 to Ksh.79,651.
The highest-paid teacher, a chief principal at Grade D5, currently earns Ksh.159,534 in basic pay, which is set to increase to Ksh.162,539.
Based on these figures, the pay rise ranges from Ksh.1,037 for the lowest-paid teachers to Ksh.3,005 for those at the highest level.
The increment also comes with four allowances which include commuter, house, leave and hardship. Here is a breakdown of how much the instructors will receive:
Teachers will receive allowances ranging from Kshs 3,850 to a maximum of Kshs 50,000. Those receiving commuter allowance will get a minimum of KShs 4,000 and a maximum of KShs 16,000.
Following complaints of tough working conditions, teachers are entitled to between Ksh.6,600 and Ksh.38,100 depending on job group and location.
They are entitled to leave allowances of between Ksh.4,000 and Ksh.10,000 depending on the job group, payable once a year.
Teachers are also entitled to housing allowance, clustered under three broad areas categorized as per location.
Teachers in the cluster one, meaning based in Nairobi will receive between Ksh.6,750 and Ksh.50,000 in house allowance.
Those from cities and major towns including Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret and Nyeri will get housing allowance that is between Ksh.4,500 and Ksh.35,000.
Cluster three includes other areas categorized as former municipalities that attract housing allowances of between Ksh.3,850 and Ksh.25,000.
The Ministry of Education has assured that the necessary resources will be included in the August salaries, along with arrears from July 2024. President William Ruto has also confirmed that the salaries will be ready within the next two days.
