By NYAKWAR OMUOMBO: Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers in Siaya County have threatened to down their tools following the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) failure to implement long-overdue career progression guidelines and promised job group promotions.

Speaking to journalists in Siaya Town, the educators expressed frustration over years of unfulfilled promises regarding their terms of service, warning that a strike is their only remaining option.

Omondi Nyagaya, a teacher at St. Oda School for the Visually Impaired, noted that SNE teachers petitioned Parliament in 2023 (Petition No. 76) regarding the non-implementation of the 2018 Career Progression Guidelines (CPG).

Parliament subsequently directed the TSC to implement the provisions within six months, a deadline that expired on August 24, 2026, without resolution.

“The six months expired, yet implementation remains outstanding,” Nyagaya pointed out, adding that a September 13, 2025 directive by the President to award SNE teachers an automatic one-job-group advancement has also been ignored.

John Onunga, a teacher at Madiany Special School in Rarieda, stated that SNE educators have pursued the issue for nine years, while their counterparts in other institutions have had theirs implemented.

“If the CPG is not implemented immediately, we are going to down our tools. We have no other choice,” Onunga stated.

Maureen Otieno, a teacher at Sega Special School, reinforced the urgency of their demands, urging the TSC to act without further delay.

While acknowledging the vulnerability of the learners under their care, the teachers emphasized that fair grading and backdated arrears are legal entitlements, warning that industrial action will proceed if the TSC fails to act.