Showdown as Murang’a JSS teachers threaten to paralyse learning in 2026
By Wangari Njuguna, November 10, 2025Junior secondary school teachers from Murang’a have threatened to down their tools come January 2026 should the government fail to meet their demands.
The teachers, who had converged in Murang’a on Sunday, November 9, 2025, are pushing for confirmation as they have been in an internship for the past year, seeking employment on permanent and pensionable terms.
Joan Mugweru, a JSS teacher, said having them work as interns for one year is unfair because they are doing the same workload as other teachers, yet their pay is much lower, which has been demoralising them.
“We are equally trained, and that is why we have been given the work to teach their students and thus should not be getting any discrimination when it comes to the pay,” Mugweru remarked.
She said there has been contradicting information regarding their contracts, with some officials saying money has been set aside to have them employed on a permanent basis, while others hint that they might have to renew their contracts to work as interns for another year.
“We want the government to come clean on this issue because we are getting contradictory information regarding our contracts, and we demand to know the way forward,” she added.
Also watch: JSS teachers take to the streets demanding confirmation of 20,000 interns.
Gasper Ochieng, another teacher, said it is illegal for the government to have them work for one year as interns yet treat them with disregard.
“We have given our services diligently, and we are demanding recognition of our efforts like other teachers,” he remarked.
Ochieng said paying Ksh17,000 to these teachers undervalues their work, adding that they will not do cheap labour any more.
“The money the interns are getting is too little and can barely meet basic needs due to the high cost of living,” he added.
The teachers are also opposed to the move by the TSC to shift their health insurance cover from Minet to SHA, saying this should be a gradual process and the transition should not be done in a hurry.
Thomas Kimani said the government should first ensure that SHA has been streamlined before incorporating it, claiming that the system still has a handful of bottlenecks.
“We don’t understand why the hurry by TSC to enrol us under SHA. It should be a gradual process so that if we encounter any challenges, we can revert back to the initial scheme,” Kimani remarked.
The 20,000 JSS teachers in the country have been pushing the government to employ them on permanent and pensionable terms, as well as to ensure the autonomy of the centres.
With the government promising to streamline the education sector, it remains to be seen if it will address the issues raised by the JSS teachers, who have threatened to paralyse learning come January.