He taught in early years, primary and secondary schools, and became active in the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
[1] In 2017, he won the union's Blair Peach Award for his contributions to social justice.
[2] The NUT later became part of the National Education Union (NEU), and in 2019, Kebede was elected to its executive committee.
He won the post, defeating deputy general secretary Niamh Sweeney by 28,636 votes to 12,918.
[3] On election, The Voice described Kebede as "only the fourth Black General Secretary of a union in Britain".