Why teachers and civil servants are a 'happy lot'

When intern teachers staged protests against the Teachers Service Commission demanding their confirmation on May 16, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Teachers and civil servants are set for a salary boost beginning July pay as the government rolls out the latest phase of public sector wage enhancements.

More than 400,000 teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will benefit from the second and final phase of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with the revised salaries expected to be reflected in this month’s payroll.

The implementation follows allocation of Sh8 billion in the 2026/27 Budget to finance the second phase of the teachers’ salary review, effectively completing the implementation of the Sh33 billion CBA signed between TSC and teachers’ unions.

The agreement, negotiated with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), provides salary increments of between five and 29.5 per cent across various job groups.

At the same time, civil servants will enjoy salary increment after President William Ruto directed a review of pay and allowances across the Public Service.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku announced the move on Tuesday, June 23, during Public Service Week celebrations at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), saying the adjustments will affect all public servants.

According to Ruku, the salary review will not only target basic pay but will also include key allowances paid to government workers. “President William Ruto and his government are increasing the salaries of all public servants in July this year. It will be gross pay, housing allowance and commuter allowance,” he said.

According to the 2026/2027 budget document, Sh2 billion has been set aside for the improved salaries. Under the revised salary structure, teachers will receive increases ranging from Sh2,359 to Sh17,463, depending on their grade and salary notch.

Teachers in Job Group B5, the entry level for primary school teachers, will now earn between Sh28,620 and Sh37,100, up from the current Sh22,793 to Sh28,491. Graduate teachers in Job Group C1 will earn between Sh35,336 and Sh47,261, while teachers in Job Group C2 will take home between Sh41,420 and Sh57,230.

Teachers in Job Group C3 will earn between Sh49,781 and Sh66,233, while those in C4, comprising senior teachers, senior masters and lecturers in teacher training colleges, will earn between Sh58,585 and Sh77,120. Deputy principals and senior masters in Job Group C5 are biggest beneficiaries, with salaries increasing to between Sh69,745 and Sh96,130, representing increases of up to Sh17,463.

Teachers in Job Groups D1 to D5  will also benefit from the review. Senior Master II and Principal III officers in D1 will now earn between Sh80,984 and Sh99,272, while Deputy Principals II and Senior Masters I in D2 will earn between Sh95,271 and Sh116,012.