Kisumu — The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), is once again pushing for a 60 percent salary increment.

The Union Secretary General Collins Oyuu, said they are going to focus on improving the teachers' remuneration as they usher in the New Year.

"We have taken time patiently waiting. We want to jumpstart the talks again," said Oyuu

Oyuu spoke in Kisumu on Tuesday ahead of KNUT 62nd National Delegates Conference (NDC), at Kisumu CITAM church.

He claimed that the teachers' negotiated central bargaining agreement (CBA), was long overdue.

"We have a new window to renegotiate the teachers' pay with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), for an increase from the initially bargained 2018/21," he said

Oyuu explained that the last time they got a pay increase, the beneficiaries were largely head teachers and their deputies.

"This time we want to focus on all the teachers to ensure rationality in the teachers' service scheme," said Oyuu.

He was flanked by KNUT national executive council members led by Chairman Muluhe Karinga.

The NDC is expected to host about 2,000 members who will reside in the lake side city as the union seeks to review its successes, challenges and come up with resolutions that will propel its agenda.

Oyuu explained that some of the points they were to ponder about as the year ends includes and not limited to CBC taskforce recommendation reviews, delocalization of teachers, CBA, employment of teachers and disciplinary actions against teachers found culpable for wrong doings in the course of their work.

"These include interdictions, demotions and promotion of teachers among a raft of teacher related problems," he said.

He welcomed the planned hiring of 30,000 teachers by the TSC but said still, the state should hire more to fill the teachers' shortage across the country.