Mental health crisis among teachers, financial strain, delays in promotions, lack of hardship allowances, inadequate medical insurance, and the alarming rise of drug and substance abuse dominated the Taita Taveta Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Sino Girls’, in Mwatate Sub-County.
The event brought together officials from coastal counties including Kinango, Kilindini, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River, Kwale, Msambweni, Malindi, and Kaloleni.
During the AGM on Saturday, Laura Mwaila, an anti-drug campaigner and award-winning researcher in substance abuse, shared alarming statistics revealing that for every 10 teachers 4 are suffering from mental health issues.
She emphasized that teachers’ challenges often extend beyond the classroom, with some implicated in student substance abuse cases.
Mwaila urged teachers to be role models as students often mimic their behaviors and called for personal transformation among educators as part of the solution to the crisis.
“We have to make a change. We have to decide whether we want to change because if we don’t, the same issues will persist. That’s why we see cases of teachers going for rehabilitation and then relapsing,” Mwaila explained.
Lenox Mshila, the KNUT Secretary General for Taita Taveta, revealed that many teachers in the county are grappling with a mental health crisis exacerbated by financial burdens and substance abuse.
He described a troubling Scenario of educators overwhelmed by financial pressures, leading to mental health issues, drug use, and, in extreme cases, death.
“We have observed that mental health challenges are a pressing reality among teachers in the county. It is with deep concern that we acknowledge the loss of several teachers through desertion, increased drug use, unspecified illnesses, financial strain, and even death,” said Mshila.
He urged fellow teachers to act as “brothers’ keepers” and seek internal solutions while calling for robust mental health support systems to address these rising concerns.
“This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for comprehensive mental health support for teachers facing increasing pressures in their professional and personal lives,” he emphasized.
Additionally, Mshila highlighted the struggles faced by Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers, demanding their full integration into the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for equal promotion opportunities and benefits.
“We want ECDE teachers to become members of the TSC so that promotions are equitable, especially for those in public schools. This is a national demand; it has already been addressed in other AGMs across the country,” he added.
Mshila also stated the importance of teacher welfare programs calling upon the tutors to actively participate in them instead of criticizing from afar. He added that these programs could be the avenues where teachers could get support in times of need that would help in averting these cases.
He subsequently warned the welfare leadership to shun from using the welfare in fighting others and instead operate on what the intention of the welfare entails.
Former KNUT Trustee James Mwasambwa echoed these concerns, warning that unresolved issues such as delays in hardship allowances contribute to the stress teachers endure.
He revealed that 286 teachers in Taita Taveta have been overlooked for promotions due to their affiliation with KNUT, which he called unfair.
“It is disheartening to hear that 286 teachers have not been promoted because they remained with the union,” Mwasambwa stated, urging the KNUT leadership to ensure justice for these teachers.
He praised the union leadership for their strategic handling of recent negotiations that led to the suspension of the strike but warned that unless these grievances are addressed, teachers would continue to face undue hardships, further exacerbating mental health issues.
KNUT’s Assistant Secretary General, Rosalia Mkanjala emphasized the critical role of unity among teachers. Citing the 1997 strike, she reminded educators that solidarity is the foundation of any successful movement.
“KNUT used to be one of the strongest unions. It is still strong. With the existence of KUPPET and KUSNET, it is important that we join the mainstream union, which is KNUT,” she stated.
Mkanjala encouraged teachers to consider investing for their retirement, noting that it currently takes a long time before a retired teacher receives their benefits.
She urged teachers to join SACCOs and grow their savings for future investments.
“Join SACCOs for your investments. By the time you retire, the money saved will be sufficient to assist you in any kind of investment. In short, teachers, I’m saying this: let’s have a side hustle,” she added.
Meanwhile, KNUT’s Assistant National Treasurer Kullow Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the union’s diplomatic strategy which is focusing on negotiations rather than confrontational activism.
His speech emphasized the union’s success in converting 46,000 intern teachers to permanent positions which he said is a significant win for teacher stability.
“The number of teachers we wanted to recruit was 146,000. The recruitment is ongoing and nearing completion. However, we believe this is still insufficient, especially with the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) requirements,” he explained.
Kullow also called for more aggressive teacher recruitment to meet CBC demands and pressed for a revision of the KNUT-TSC recognition agreement to ensure timely disbursement of pensions and benefits to retired teachers.
“We have officially informed the Teacher Service Commission that past issues between us and the TSC have diluted our recognition agreements. We are set to meet with them soon to renew our KNUT-TSC recognition agreement,” he added.
Addressing financial grievances, Kullow raised the issue of unauthorized deductions from teachers’ pay slips for unions they have not joined.
He emphasized that collective action and solidarity are necessary to safeguard teachers’ rights amid calls for job security and benefits.
Taita Taveta Senator Jones Mwaruma supported the call for fair treatment, expressing shock at the resumption of deductions by the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) despite a directive to halt them.
“When I return to the Senate on Tuesday, I will write a statement demanding an explanation from TSC Secretary Nancy Macharia regarding these deductions. After KEWOTA was stopped from deducting money from teachers, they have started again without refunding those that they had taken,” he explained.
Mwaruma also raised the plight of teachers in hard-to-reach areas like Taveta, Rong’e, and Wundanyi, where hardship allowances remain unimplemented despite recommendations from a 2018 task force report.
As a way of promoting continuous professional development, Mwaruma advocated for teachers’ access to bursaries, highlighting the work of the Jones Mwaruma Foundation, which currently supports over 100 teachers pursuing diplomas and degrees. He emphasized the need for teachers to further their education, especially in light of the challenges posed by the CBC.
“As we speak, I have over 50 teachers doing diplomas in Vihiga and 62 teachers at Taita Taveta University pursuing their degrees. If God gives us life, by 2028, there will be 62 graduates through the Jones Mwaruma Foundation,” Mwaruma added.
Patrick Chakuza, the TSC representative from Wundanyi Sub-County, acknowledged the challenges teachers face in remote areas like Vuria, Lumbinyi, and Mwangea highlighting that many teachers are requesting transfers out of these regions due to inadequate infrastructure and support, a trend he suggested could be reversed through closer collaboration between unions and political leaders.
He called upon teachers in the region to share their challenges with the TSC office in the area so that their plights can be addressed.
Dan Aloo, the National Trustee for KNUT, criticized the current system for teacher promotions, stating that teachers in coastal regions, including Taita Taveta, are not receiving fair treatment.
“We have resolved from this AGM that promotions are being manipulated. I travel frequently as a national trustee, and I see that in other regions, teachers are given 10,000 or 5,000, while in the coast, we receive only 4,000 to share. We want our teachers to receive fair promotions,” Aloo stated.
He noted that teachers in the coast region have been stagnating in the same job groups for longer, a situation which he said is demoralizing them.
He advocated for an increase in the salaries of the lowest-paid teachers, calling for a starting salary of Ksh 100,000 for diploma-trained teachers.
Referring to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for 2025-2029, Aloo outlined the union’s goal to ensure that all teachers start at a higher pay grade, insisting that diploma-trained teachers should no longer be placed in lower job groups such as C1, C2, or C3.
“We don’t want C1, C2, and C3. Those job groups are for untrained individuals. Teachers are trained professionals,” he noted.
