NYAMIRA ECDE TEACHERS THREATEN STRIKE OVER LOW PAY, CONTRACT TERMS Nyamira County.

The teachers, organised under the Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET), said they will not report to duty, a move that risks disrupting learning for young learners just as Term Three of the 2026 academic year begins.

Speaking to Getembe TV, the teachers, led by their chairman Mose Casimil, expressed deep dissatisfaction with their current remuneration and employment status. They accused the Nyamira County Government of neglecting repeated calls to improve their conditions and convert their contracts into permanent and pensionable positions.

“We are no longer willing to continue working under these circumstances. Our salaries remain too low, and the county has failed to employ us on permanent and pensionable terms. We will not report to schools until our demands are fully addressed,” Casimil stated on behalf of the teachers.

The union has also appealed directly to parents, urging them to keep their children at home until the county administration engages the teachers and reaches a mutually acceptable agreement. The teachers warned that the industrial action would continue indefinitely if the county government does not respond promptly.

The threatened strike comes at a critical time, as basic education institutions across the country, including pre-primary centres, reopened on Monday, August 24, for the final nine-week term of the academic year. ECDE centres form the foundation of the Competency-Based Education system, and any disruption could affect the youngest learners’ transition into the formal schooling structure.

KUNOPPET members in Nyamira have long raised concerns about their welfare. Many ECDE teachers across counties operate on temporary or contractual arrangements with modest pay packages that they argue do not reflect the demands of their work or the rising cost of living. The push for permanent and pensionable terms is part of a wider national conversation about the status and recognition of pre-primary educators.



As of this morning, there was no immediate public response from the Nyamira County Government regarding the teachers’ ultimatum. Education stakeholders in the county are monitoring the situation closely, with some parents already expressing anxiety over the potential impact on their children’s learning.

The teachers insisted that their action is a last resort after what they described as prolonged inaction by the county authorities. They maintained that meaningful dialogue and concrete commitments on salary reviews and employment terms remain the only path to resolving the standoff and ensuring uninterrupted learning in ECDE centres.

County education officials and parents’ associations are expected to seek urgent meetings with the teachers’ leadership in a bid to avert a full-scale disruption. Meanwhile, the union has called on all its members in Nyamira to stand firm until their demands are met.