The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has called for a 60% salary increase for teachers across the country.

KNUT Deputy Secretary Hesbon Otieno says that teachers have a huge task of dealing with students all over the country, with their roles expected to increase in 2026 when as Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) learners shift to grade 8.

Speaking on Wednesday, June 4 at a burial ceremony for the former Kirinyaga KNUT Executive Secretary Harrison Mureithi, in Kirinyaga County, Otieno said the union will make sure hardship allowance for teachers in far-flung areas is restored by the government.

“We have placed our proposal for our employer in the Teachers Service Commission (TSC),” he said. “We have said according to the Kenyan economy now, it will be appropriate if teachers get a salary increment of 60%,” Otieno said during the burial at Kiandangae ACK Church in Ndia Constituency.

KNUT first Vice Chairman Joseph Langat requested Members of Parliament (MPs) to set aside enough funds for teachers since they are now working on the budget to determine the finance bill of the year.

“For now we know that the MPs are working on the budget,” he stated. “We want to say this, since we are burying our fellow, the Members of Parliament to set aside enough funds for the future.”

The current teachers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Ministry of Education is set to expire on June 30,2025. In the new negotiations, Otieno said that teachers will not accept anything less than 60 percent on the salaries and also 30 percent on allowances.