By Vitalis Kimutai

Kenya: Kenya National Examination Council is yet to pay allowances to more than 10,000 teachers and police officers who offered services during last year’s KCSE exams.

Our sources have it that the teachers who participated in marking the exams alongside invigilators, supervisors and police officers who offered security services during the exam period are yet to get their dues.

And now two MPs — Ronald Tonui (Bomet Central) and Paul Savimbi Bii (Chepalungu) — have threatened to take the matter to Parliament to compel Knec to release the money to the affected teachers and police officers.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers national chairman Omboko Milemba and the union’s secretary in charge of secondary schools Edward Obwocha raised the red flag, saying the teachers were still waiting for their dues four months down the line with no guarantee of them getting paid soon.

“Knec promised to pay the teachers in February, but two months down the line, that is yet to happen,” Milemba said.

Tonui and Bii said they will raise the matter in Parliament and push for a legislation that would compel Knec to pay teachers in the future immediately after rendering services.

Tonui, the immediate former KUPPET national assistant treasurer and Bii who is the immediate former Bomet County Kenya National Union of Teachers branch executive secretary, threatened to sponsor the teachers to move to court if Knec does not release the money immediately.

“The teachers, who mark the exams, forego their December holidays and sleep on double-decker beds in schools and colleges yet the council is reluctant to pay them. It is against human rights and labour laws as provided in the Constitution,” Tonui said.

Permanent solution

Tonui said it was only in the teaching profession where one could offer services and wait for four months to be paid, adding that it would not be possible to transform the country’s economy to attain 7.5 per cent yearly growth in two years as projected by the Jubilee government with teachers subjected to such frustrations and discriminations.

 “Teachers and police officers who offer their services to Knec during exam periods have continuously been frustrated with delays on payment. This matter must be resolved once and for all,” Bii said.

Bii wondered why Knec was reluctant to pay the teachers yet students pay exam fees as early as March, every year, adding that the Council should explain how the interest accrued from the fees kept in local bank accounts for a whole year were used.

Last week, Knec said it expected to release the money beginning Friday this week.

“The tradition has been the money is paid in April when the exams have been released and we shall strive to ensure that happens,” Mrs Petronila Were, Knec acting Communications Director said.