TSC cancels plan to award teachers salary increment in July

Teachers will not get a payrise in July 2024 as was planned. This was revealed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) today in Parliament when it engaged with the National Assembly Education Committee.

TSC revealed that recent budget revisions proposed by the National Treasury and expected to be implemented soon will adversely impact the Commission’s programs and development projects.

TSC said that the reduction of sh10 billion in compensation to employees will delay the implementation of the second phase of the 2021–2025 CBA agreement between the Commission and teacher unions.

“Sh10,281,147,858 has reduced the recurrent budget. This reduction will impact the compensation of teaching service employees. As a result, the Commission will not be able to implement the second phase of the 2021-2025 Amended CBA between the Commission and the Teacher Unions.”

On 28^th August, 2023, TSC signed the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET).

The agreement reviewed the remuneration payable to teachers which will be implemented in two phases. The first phase was implemented on 1^st July 2023.

The second phase was to be implemented on 1^st July 2024. Teachers were posed to get salary changes in their July 2024 payslips.

However TSC says this will not be possible with the current cash crunch it is facing. The Commission says it has postponed the CBA it signed with teachers last year till things improve and funds are availed.

According to the proposal by the National Treasury, TSC budget allocations for Financial Year 2024 to 2025 will be reduced by sh18.9 billion following the withdrawal of the 2024 Finance Bill.

TSC said the huge budget cuts will also negatively impact the hiring of junior secondary teachers across the country.

The Commission’s overall recurrent budget has been reduced by sh10.28 billion, bringing the new gross recurrent budget to Sh347.49 billion, down from the initial allocation of Sh357.77 billion.

It also projects to receive an allocation of Sh404.3 million as the new development budget, down from the initial allocation of Sh442.3 million.

The reduction of the development budget by Sh38 million is set to affect the completion of the Commission’s county offices in Machakos and Kilifi counties.

“This reduction will affect the completion of the Commission’s County Offices, specifically in Machakos and Kilifi Counties. The two development projects are at an advanced completion stage and were to be handed over to the Commission in September 2024. The budget cuts will inevitably delay payments to the Contractors upon raising the completion certificate,” TSC stated.

The Commission hinted at a move to review the number of teachers to be trained under the CBC program due to a reduction in allocations to various expenditure items, including membership subscriptions to professional bodies, routine asset maintenance, and the purchase of motor vehicles.