Kenyan educator and TikTok personality Teacher Cillah has sparked a wide conversation online after sharing a candid video detailing exactly how much the government pays her, and why the figure simply does not add up to a liveable wage.
In a video she shared on her TikTok page on November 3, 2026, at what appears to be an outdoor café or hotel terrace, Cillah shared her frustrations and those shared by many teachers.
How much does Teacher Cillah earn?
She lamented how, as a teacher, one must try other things in order to make a decent living and disclosed how much she makes.
“I know people talk about the loans and everything, but kumake it, mwalimu lazima ujisukume ama you think outside the box. Since I started working, nilianziwa na KSh 28,000. Saa hii nalipwa KSh 37,000,” she said.
She quickly did the arithmetic out loud, noting that KSh 9,000 spread across roughly four years works out to approximately KSh 2,250 per month in incremental growth.
“In a span of those four years, juu niliandikwa 2022 ikiisha, those are four years complete na nimeongezewa KSh 9000. Na ukiongezewa 9000, it means per year umekuwa ukiongezewa 2250. Hio pesa, unaona kama itakununulia CX? Not unless uko na inheritance, connection, ama making it as a teacher itabidi umejisukuma sukuma. Hakuna kitu hunibore kama hio,” she added.
Why teachers must look beyond their salaries
Cillah did not stop at sharing the numbers. She used the moment to make a broader point about financial survival in the profession, arguing that a teacher’s government pay packet, however honourable the work, cannot carry a person forward without external support.
Her message was not one of defeat but of honest reckoning. She framed it as a call for teachers to think creatively and work extra hard outside classroom hours if they hope to grow financially.
The video resonated with many Kenyans who have long debated teacher welfare, TSC salary scales, and the economic pressures facing educators in the country’s public school system.
