Teachers take to the street over pay

BY NIKKO TANUI

Kericho, Kenya: Teachers in Kericho County allied to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) took to the streets of Kericho town to press for better pay and terms of service.

The teachers in their hundreds began their march from Moi gardens through the streets waving placards and causing a huge traffic snarl up in the town.

Led by Kuppet Kericho Branch Executive Secretary Julius Mibei, the teachers said they were fed up with many government pledges that had come to naught. “We are telling the government, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector that teachers are not going back to class until our demands are fully met,” he said.

The teachers are demanding for the harmonisation of wide-ranging allowances, including medical and commuter allowance which they said is too little compared to what is earned by civil servants.

“We are also demanding to be given leave allowances, which teachers do not receive unlike other government employees,” said Mibei.

Kuppet also wants TSC to introduce responsibility allowances for school heads, their deputies, heads of departments and class teachers and fast tract the promotion of teachers.

“There are teachers who have remained in the same grade for a very long time in spite of performing well in their profession,” said Mibei.

Kericho Branch Executive Secretary at the same time called on the government to employ additional teachers including 24,000 nursery teachers. Joseph Cheluget, the branch’s treasurer lamented that the government had left teachers with no other option but to go to the streets to press for their rights.

According to a strike notice which was written and signed by the Kuppet national Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima on June 12, the union is demanding that the government honors an agreement it signed in October 2012 and set up a committee that would negotiate allowances and other terms of service for teachers.

Nthurima lamented that in spite their attempts to ensure that the said payments were factored in the national budget for financial year 2013/2014 as well as lobbying parliamentary select committees on education and budget to address their issues, it had not bore any fruit.

The strike notice was sent to Education Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi and the Teachers Service Commission.