PS Bitok, who later visited the affected communities in Marakwet East, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, calling it a painful moment for the education sector.
David AbonyoUASU Vice Chairperson, Cyprian Ombati, said the union is pushing for harmonization of allowances under the upcoming 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to ensure that lecturers performing similar work receive equal compensation, regardless of the university they serve in.
David AbonyoOmbati said the lecturers’ strike, which began on September 17 following the lapse of a seven-day notice issued on September 10, is driven by three long-standing grievances that the government has ignored despite repeated engagements.
David AbonyoSpeaking during an interview on Radio Generation, Ombati said that while universities continue to carry out research, inadequate financial support from the government remains a major obstacle to meaningful progress.
David AbonyoTo manage the exam, 342,687 personnel have been deployed, including invigilators, supervisors, centre managers and security officers. Ogamba also highlighted a public reporting system that allows Kenyans to flag cheating attempts and officer misconduct.
Rose AchiengThe temporary halt, however, does not affect certain groups of students, including medical students on clinical rotations, TVET Institute students, Mombasa and Nakuru campus students, SODeL students, JKUAT/KESRA students, and postgraduate students involved in ongoing research.
Maureen KinyanjuiAccording to Ogamba, the government has already paid Sh4.3 billion as the first part of the 2021–2025 CBA and an additional Sh2.73 billion as the second part. He said the remaining Sh2.73 billion is set to be cleared in the coming financial year as originally planned.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe payment arrangement follows advisory input from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and weeks of pressure from university unions demanding that the government honour the negotiated terms. Staff had accused authorities of delaying obligations contained in the collective bargaining agreements, saying the situation had left many workers struggling financially.
Rose AchiengCS Ogamba said the council’s approved recurrent budget for the 2024/25 financial year allocated Sh5.9 billion for national assessments and examinations. Out of this, Sh3 billion was designated for the KCSE exams, Sh2 billion for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), and Sh900 million for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). However, the total requirement stood at Sh12.72 billion, creating a funding gap of Sh6.8 billion.
Ann NyamburaSpeaking during a press briefing in Nairobi on Friday, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga said the decision followed extensive deliberations by the union’s top organs, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Delegates Conference (NDC).
David AbonyoThe sitting, chaired by Senator Julius Murgor (West Pokot), examined a petition filed by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK Chapter, representing workers whose contributions were reportedly never transferred to the pension scheme.
Maureen KinyanjuiSafaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said the project represents the company’s commitment to preparing Kenya’s youth for a technology-driven future.
Chrispho OwuorGovernor Sakaja said that the feeding programme launched in collaboration with partners was designed to uphold the dignity and well-being of every child in Nairobi’s public schools.
David AbonyoThe new documents will not display traditional grades such as A, B, C, or D, nor the actual marks scored. This information will only be shared with the Ministry of Education for placement purposes into senior school. Certification will now only be awarded at the completion of basic education — at the end of Grade 12.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe Education CS further told MPs that 570 out of 990 primary schools failed to submit updated data to the ministry even after receiving half of their funds, a gap that continues to complicate the disbursement process. According to Ogamba, about 6,000 schools countrywide, ranging from primary to senior secondary, are still non-compliant with the ministry’s requirements, with some institutions operating with as few as 45 pupils.
Maureen KinyanjuiDuring his visit to Litein Boys’ High School in Kericho County on Monday, Ogamba said the Ministry of Education would not allocate public funds to rebuild infrastructure ruined by learners, warning that parents would shoulder the cost to discourage similar unrest in future.
Maureen KinyanjuiEducation Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the ministry, working closely with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), had ensured that all affected candidates were able to sit their exams without disruption.
Bradley BosireThe AfDB, through its concessional lending arm, is partnering with the Ministry of Education to implement the initiative. HEST II will target 19 public universities, equipping them with modern laboratories, upgraded teaching materials, and advanced digital learning platforms.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe Ministry of Education has also issued strict guidelines requiring Centre Managers, Supervisors, Invigilators, and Security Officers to surrender their mobile phones once they collect examination materials. The phones will be stored securely during the entire exam period to curb communication that could compromise integrity.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe talks, held to resolve the Sh7.9 billion in salary arrears and other allowances, fell apart following sharp disagreements over the structure and timeline of payments.
Rose AchiengIn a letter dated October 21 and addressed to SRC Acting Secretary and CEO Margaret Njoka, Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the union had completely rejected the IPUCCF’s counter-offer, which was based on guidelines issued by the commission.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe upcoming senior school system, which will accommodate Grade 10 to 12 learners, is anchored on three pathways — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports. Fees will differ depending on the pathway and the school’s category, as each cluster requires different levels of infrastructure and learning materials.
Ann NyamburaThe KCSE written papers are set to run from November 3 to November 21, lasting 18 days. The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will see 1,130,669 learners participate, while another 1,298,089 candidates have registered for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). Both assessments are scheduled between October 27 and November 6.
Rose AchiengPublic university Vice Chancellors have already begun disciplining staff who fail to resume duty. Prof. Daniel Mugendi, Chairperson of the Vice Chancellors Committee of Public Universities and Vice Chancellor of the University of Embu, warned that striking staff are aware of the legal consequences of their actions.
Maureen KinyanjuiNational Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula instructed Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah to ensure Ogamba appears before the House to respond to questions raised by lawmakers.
Maureen KinyanjuiAccording to the Ministry, Term One for all pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools will run for 13 weeks from January 5 to April 2, 2026. A short half-term break will take place from February 25 to March 1, followed by a three-week April holiday from April 7 to April 24.
Maureen KinyanjuiKISE also highlighted a funding need of Sh86 million for the Parental Empowerment Centre, which is still incomplete due to a shortfall of Sh185 million.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe unions recall that on October 28 2019, the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and UASU signed the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was subsequently registered with the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
Maureen KinyanjuiKUPPET Kericho Executive Secretary Mary Rotich urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to immediately transfer all staff from Litein High, pointing out that the teachers had been wrongly held responsible for the unrest that followed fines imposed on parents to repair damage from the September 21 demonstrations.
Maureen KinyanjuiThe focus on fruit trees this year seeks to merge environmental protection with practical benefits for learners, creating fruit orchards within schools that contribute to the nation’s greening efforts while supplying nutritional value.
David Abonyo