Uhuru urges crisis talks as teachers say ‘pay or strike’

By Vitalis Kimutai

NAIROBI, KENYA: Talks to avert a looming teachers’ strike failed to take off despite President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive that the standoff be resolved immediately.

The Ministry of Labour and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) were expected to meet with officials of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), whose members are on strike. Their larger rival, the Kenya National Union of Teachers, has also threatened to begin a strike next week if no deal is reached.

Union members demonstrated in the streets of Nairobi on Friday, before they moved outside Parliament Buildings and the Deputy President’s office.

And on Friday evening, President Kenyatta issued another directive to Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and TSC in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to engage Knut and Kuppet on the matter.

In a statement from State House Uhuru said he expected the process to proceed expeditiously to avoid disruption of learning in schools.

“In addressing and finalising this issue, the driving motive must be the national interest and especially the interest of our young people,” he added.

The President said the education sector faces many challenges among them lack of enough teachers adding that in the current budget before Parliament his Government had made provision to hire 10,000 new teachers.

“I have today directed the Cabinet Secretary Education, Science and Technology, and TSC in consultation with SRC to immediately engage Knut and Kuppet to discuss any outstanding issues,” he added.

The Government has so far raised Sh3.5 billion to employ 40,000 teachers but the unions have rejected the money saying it was not enough. About Sh50 billion is required to meet teachers’ demands.

Kuppet officials, led by chairman Omboko Milemba, said the full amount must be raised to implement salary increment and harmonise teachers’ allowances with other civil servants.

The Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade, chaired by Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat, said National Treasury would release more funds to meet teachers demands. Dr Kamau Thugge, nominee for Treasury Principal Secretary told the team pay discrepancies ought to be dealt with.

“I support the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in seeking to harmonise salaries and allowances for all civil servants,” Thugge, the economic secretary at the Treasury, said during vetting.

Kuppet, which has called a strike for its 47,000 members, wants commuter, house, leave and responsibility allowances for teachers harmonised with those of other civil servants.

Harmonised

In commuter allowances, teachers in job groups F to R earn Sh2,198 to Sh15,530 less than civil servants. Those in Group F earn Sh802 as commuter allowances while those in R earn Sh4,470. Public servants in the same job groups earn Sh3,000 and Sh20,000 respectively.

While public servants are paid annual leave allowance, teachers are not paid even though they have three holidays in a year after every end of the term.

Kuppet says all teachers should be paid an equivalent of one month’s basic salary per year as leave allowance in line with TSC code of regulations.

Currently head teachers in charge of a single stream school earn Sh750 as responsibility allowance while those in institutions with ten streams earn Sh7,500. Deputy head teachers in the same institutions earn Sh200 to Sh2,000. Senior teachers and Heads of Departments are paid Sh150 and Sh3,000 respectively as responsibility allowance.

Kuppet has proposed a uniform responsibility allowance of Sh3,000 for all class teachers irrespective of the streams in their schools. Heads of Departments are to be paid Sh3,000 in institutions with one stream, Sh5,000 in two-stream schools, Sh7,000 for three streams, Sh8,000 for four, Sh9,000 for five and Sh14,000 for ten streams. The union also proposed Sh5,000 for deputy principals in one stream institutions, Sh6,000 for two streams, Sh7,000 for three, Sh8,000 for four and Sh9,000 for five.

The union wants principals manning one stream institutions to be paid responsibility allowances of Sh5,000, Sh30,000 for those in two-stream schools and Sh30,500 and Sh40,000 for those in three and four stream institutions.

And Government to pay teachers house allowance of between Sh12,000 for those in job group J and Sh80,000 for those in job group R. “As things stand now, we shall continue with the strike because the Government has not met the demands by the teachers,” Milemba told the press at Parliament buildings.

Neglecting

Kuppet deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima said: “It is sad the Budget estimates presented by the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury did not factor in money to pay teachers harmonised allowances commensurate with that of civil servants and employ 40,000 teachers.”

Knut officials say the industrial action would be called in a matter of days.

“Nobody is thinking about what is hurting the teachers of this country,” said Knut Secretary General Xavier Nyamu. “Many are living in single rooms costing Sh2,000 when there is a legal notice (number 534 of 1997) increasing their perks that has not been effected in 16 years.”

Knut national chairman Wilson Sossion said the union would not negotiate over the dispute because past promises had not been honoured.

“There is no negotiation with the Government,” Mr Sossion said. “We are tired of their monkey business as they have nothing to offer us.”

Bomet Central MP Ronald Tonui said it was unfortunate that the SRC chaired by Ms Sarah Serem had failed to act on the matter even though there was an existing agreement between the teachers and the Government. “Unfortunately, SRC seems to have only focused on the dispute with MPs while neglecting teachers who have a genuine case,” Mr Tonui said.