Kuppet and TSC decide to bury the hatchet and withdraw court cases

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have reached an agreement that effectively ends the ongoing legal disputes between the two parties.

The agreement follows extensive negotiations between the Kuppet National Executive Board and the TSC, resulting in the suspension of the teachers’ strike.

With the new development, the union’s focus now shifts to ensuring that the government fulfils its commitments to Kenya’s tutors, particularly those in junior secondary schools.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, a day after calling of teachers' strike, Kuppet Secretary-General Akello Misori confirmed the progress, saying the union is set to formalise the process with the court.

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“Our legal teams have finalised the court consent, which will be presented by both parties tomorrow. This marks the conclusion of the legal battles that have been ongoing, allowing us to return to bipartisan engagement on the issues that matter most,” said Misori.

Misori said the two parties agreed to end the legal disputes.

“When the parties go before court on Thursday, the TSC petition and application both dated August 26, 2024, as well as the Kuppet application dated August27,  2024 will be settled so that the two sides can return to bipartisan engagement on all the issues,” he added.

Misori noted that the court consent covers all the union’s grievances except for two critical issues: the immediate employment of 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, and the hiring of an additional 20,000 new teachers for JSS.

“While we have made headway in resolving several issues, the TSC has maintained that it lacks the authority to commit to the immediate employment of these teachers due to the absence of allocated funds from Parliament,” Misori added.

Misori maintain that the union remains resolute in its demands that will benefit all teachers across the country.

“We are steadfast in demanding the immediate confirmation of the intern teachers and the employment of the 20,000 new teachers as previously agreed upon during the 2024/2025 budget-making process,” Misori declared.

Misori reiterated that confirming intern teachers is a core matter for the union, aimed at defending the dignity of the teaching profession.

“The union will strongly pursue this matter with the Cabinet Secretaries for Education, Finance, and Labour to eliminate bad labour practices being perpetuated by the TSC. We will also take up the matter with President William Ruto once he returns from  China,” Misori stated.