A Gender Lens On The Early Childhood Education (Amendment) Bill, 2023

By Benter Opande

The Early Childhood Education (Amendment) Bill, 2023 has undergone its first reading in the National Assembly and is already sparking conversations about the value Kenya places on its earliest teachers. While on paper it appears as a technical adjustment to the law, in reality it is a defining moment that could reshape how the country treats those entrusted with guiding children through the most delicate and formative stage of learning. The Bill proposes amendments to sections 31, 38, and 68 of the principal Act, inserting new provisions that put teachers’ welfare at the center of early childhood education management.

By allowing discussions and recommendations on the welfare of teachers and by requiring county governments to consider fair and transparent criteria in setting remuneration, including guidance from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, qualifications, and minimum wage, the Bill moves towards correcting historical injustices that have for too long gone unnoticed. Yet, the significance of this Bill lies not only in the legal language but in the lived realities of the people it seeks to affect. The majority of ECDE teachers in Kenya are women, many of them working under precarious contracts, poorly paid, and excluded from benefits that should be the right of every professional educator.

The Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA), under the leadership of CEO Benter Opande, has been at the forefront of highlighting these injustices. Through persistent advocacy, KEWOTA has championed the need for gender-sensitive policies that go beyond remuneration to include maternity protection, workplace dignity, and retirement security. Their voice has been instrumental in ensuring that lawmakers recognize ECDE teaching as a skilled profession rather than casual labour tied to care and nurturing.

For women who dominate this sector, welfare also means access to lactation rooms in ECDE centers, the assurance of maternity leave aligned with international standards, and protection from discriminatory practices that undervalue their work. KEWOTA has consistently argued that teaching young children requires expertise and dedication, and the Bill’s provision linking pay to qualifications affirms that ECDE teaching deserves recognition as a lifelong career.

The issue of retirement benefits is equally urgent. Many teachers who have given decades of service to early learners retire into poverty because they were never enrolled in pension schemes. Counties have consistently hired them on temporary contracts that strip them of social security. KEWOTA, through Ms. Opande’s stewardship, has amplified the call for pensions and social protection as non-negotiable elements of teacher welfare. Motivated and secure teachers deliver better outcomes for learners, and safeguarding their dignity ensures the foundation of education remains strong.

Counties now stand at a critical crossroads. Devolution gave them the responsibility of managing early childhood education, yet the disparities in how teachers are treated remain glaring. Implementing this Bill will require commitment, resources, and accountability. Civil society, teachers’ unions, and especially KEWOTA must continue to demand action so that welfare is not reduced to rhetoric but becomes a lived reality in every county.

If fully implemented with a gender-sensitive lens, this legislation has the power to elevate ECDE teaching into a respected and sustainable profession. It would mark a decisive break from the tradition of undervaluing women’s work and create a future where the women who nurture the youngest learners are protected, motivated, and dignified. For a country that aspires to quality education for all, nothing less can be acceptable.