Lawyers in teachers pay dispute take on each other

Terse correspondence between lawyers representing warring parties in the teachers' salary dispute has intensified even as the Government grapples with the headache of effecting the Supreme Court's orders.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through its lawyer Stella Rutto has criticised the manner in which the lawyers representing the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have been conducting themselves, terming it 'unbecoming', especially after the Monday ruling.

In a terse letter on a TSC letterhead addressed to the Oraro and Company Advocates for Knut and J.A Guserwa and Company Advocates representing Kuppet, Ruto writing on behalf of the TSC Chief Executive criticises the manner in which the lawyers had conducted themselves, saying they were not assisting in the advancement of the rule of law.

Ruto has rebuked what she terms as 'veiled threats' of commencing committal proceedings the lawyers for the unions had issued to the TSC boss if the employer failed to honour the court's ruling and pay teachers a 50-60 per cent pay raise by the end of this month.

"Whereas it may be excusable for your clients' members to chest-thumb and engage in act of public rejoicing, we expect you as counsel to exercise restraint knowing that the judgement that you refer to is subject to a merited appeal," says Ruto in the letter to the lawyers, adding: "It is unbecoming to utter unnecessary threats which merely obscure issues and do not advance the rule of law."

Ruto appears to have been offended by a letter written to the TSC boss, three Cabinet secretaries and the Attorney General by John Mbaluto of Oraro and Company advocates warning of contempt proceedings if the pay hike is not effected by close of business on August 31. Kuppet lawyers also warned TSC of similar consequences in their letter dated August 24 , saying they would file a citation for contempt on September 1.