KNUT’s Collins Oyuu Says President Ruto Has Committed to Hiring Long-Waiting Teachers Through Affirmative Action
With this enhancement, he said, more teachers will be able to climb the career ladder as a form of reward for dedication and service.
He said President Ruto has now pledged to increase the budget for teachers' promotions from Ksh.1 billion to Ksh.2 billion starting next year. Photo/Courtesy.
By Ruth Sang
Kenya National Union of Teachers KNUT, Secretary General Collins Oyuu, has assured the thousands of unemployed teachers who have waited for many years to get into the government payrolls that their chance is coming soon. Speaking in Rongo on Sunday, Oyuu indicated the union had concluded an affirmative action understanding with President William Ruto aimed at ensuring that teachers who have stayed the longest without employment are given first priority in the recruitment exercises.
Oyuu expressed deep concern that some trained teachers have waited for more than a decade to secure government jobs, with a number of them now in their mid-40s and still unemployed. He described the situation as not acceptable at all, highlighting that no teacher should reach the age of 45 without ever having been absorbed into the public service despite having the qualifications.
Oyuu said that the assurance from President Ruto was that the government will gradually hire all these long-waiting teachers. In explaining the affirmative action plan, he said that it would particularly benefit those who completed their training some years back but who have continuously lost opportunities during previous recruitment into the teaching service. “The government has agreed that none of these teachers will be left behind,” Oyuu said, adding that KNUT would closely monitor this process to ensure it happened.
Beyond employment, Oyuu also pointed out developments on another long-standing issue affecting teachers-stagnation in job groups. He revealed that scores of teachers have been stuck in the same grade for over a decade without promotion, mainly due to the meager budgetary allocation for career development. He said President Ruto has now pledged to increase the budget for teachers’ promotions from Ksh.1 billion to Ksh.2 billion starting next year. With this enhancement, he said, more teachers will be able to climb the career ladder as a form of reward for dedication and service.
Oyuu praised the current administration, saying the Kenya Kwanza government had already recorded historic milestones in the hiring of teachers. In the last three years, he said, the government had employed 76,000 teachers, the highest number recruited in such a period in recent history. He added that an extra 20,000 teachers are expected to be employed in January 2026, augmenting staffing levels in schools across the country. The KNUT Secretary General reaffirmed the commitment of the union to ensuring that teachers’ welfare remains at the core of national education policy. He urged the unemployed teachers to remain patient, trusting the affirmative action framework, which he said would finally bring relief to those who have waited the longest to serve.
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