Nearly a year after President William Ruto promised sweeping changes to improve teachers’ careers and welfare, several of the commitments remain stuck in negotiations, reviews or funding requests, leaving unions pushing government agencies to act.
The pledges were made on September 13, 2025, when more than 10,000 teachers met the President at State House during the Waalimu na Rais meeting.
The teachers presented their concerns, particularly on career stagnation, promotions, housing, medical cover and the implementation of their collective bargaining agreement.
One of the biggest promises was to raise the number of teachers promoted each year from about 25,000 to 50,000.
However, the TSC has advertised about 34,000 promotion vacancies since the commitment was made, meaning the number remains below the target announced by the President.
The Nairobi branch executive secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Mugwe Macharia, said the increase expected by teachers had not materialised.
"We have not seen any doubling of promotion slots from the current 25,000, with TSC advertising only 30,000 vacancies, leaving a deficit of 20,000,"he said.
The gap has renewed concerns among teachers over career stagnation, one of the issues the State House meeting was expected to address.
But promotions are not the only promise that remains unresolved.
President Ruto had also committed to reducing the period for implementing the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from four years to two.
He further pledged that teachers would receive 20 per cent of affordable housing units, special-needs education teachers would be moved up one job group, and 20,000 intern teachers would be employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
The President also directed a review of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPGs), which have been a major concern for teachers seeking to advance in their careers.
Kuppet secretary-general Akello Misori said teachers' unions could not treat the State House meeting as a formal CBA negotiation because such matters had to be handled with the relevant government institutions.
"That meeting was not a CBA meeting, so we don't negotiate with the President on terms.
If he makes some promises, those are political promises; we follow them up with the relevant organs," Mr Misori told Nation.
On the CBA, Misori said the President's role had been to help set the process in motion, while the actual implementation required talks between the unions and the TSC.
"Of great importance to the teachers is the issue related to the CBA, which of course the President, being a partner, was just to jump-start, if it was possible. But that one was between us and the TSC to actualise.
This is the only thing which has not kicked off," he said.
The proposed changes to the CPGs have moved further than some of the other pledges but have yet to become operational.
The TSC has proposed the 2026 CPGs, which would give teachers an opportunity to reach the highest grade in the profession while remaining in classroom teaching.
The new proposals also provide two career paths, separating teachers who want to continue as classroom practitioners from those interested in management, leadership and administrative positions.
Knut, Kuppet and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) signed the proposed CPGs with the TSC on June 18, 2026. The document was then sent to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for review.
There has been no movement on the proposals since they reached the SRC, according to the unions.
"Up to now, we are still waiting for the reviewed CPGs to take effect,"Mr Macharia said.
Special-needs teachers are also still waiting for the implementation of a separate presidential directive.
Kusnet secretary-general James Torome said the 2018 CPG had provided for special-needs education teachers to advance by two job groups, but that provision was never implemented.
The union later asked President Ruto to intervene, resulting in his approval for the immediate implementation of a one-job-group adjustment.
Torome said the adjustment had not yet been implemented.
Kusnet says the TSC has already approached the National Treasury for money to support the implementation of the directive. The Treasury, however, has not responded to the request, according to the union.
The affordable housing promise has also not reached implementation.
Kuppet says it is still holding discussions with the government on how teachers can benefit from the pledge to set aside 20 per cent of affordable housing units for them.
Misori said the union had met the Cabinet Secretary for Land and Housing and agreed to establish a technical committee.
The committee is expected to work out how teachers will access the houses through the Boma Yangu programme.
On healthcare, the government has already changed the medical scheme serving teachers.
In December last year, the TSC transferred teachers from the medical scheme operated by Minet Kenya to the Public Officers' Medical Scheme Fund, which is administered by the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The new comprehensive cover includes inpatient and outpatient treatment, maternity services, care for chronic illnesses, dental and optical services, air evacuation, last-expense cover and overseas treatment.
Misori said Kuppet was engaging the authority over technical matters surrounding the scheme and was seeking to ensure teachers continue receiving the benefits under the new arrangement.
Knut, however, says the transition has come with challenges. The union reported that some hospitals have refused to treat teachers under the SHA arrangement.
As the promises approach the one-year mark, teachers' unions are continuing to follow up with the agencies responsible for implementing them. While some processes have started, including the review of career guidelines and discussions on affordable housing, several of the commitments made at State House remain incomplete.