Assembly to freeze executives' salaries and disband County employer body

Nyamira Speaker Moffat Teya addressing journalists in his office on 17/07/2018. He said Executive was not realistic by rejecting the 2018/2019 budget estimates. [Stanley Ongwae, Standard].

The county assembly wants the administration to pay teachers their nine-month salary arrears.

Speaker Moffat Teya told the executive to pay the early childhood development education (ECDE) teachers within a month or have the assembly reject the next budget and disband the county public service board.

"The executive and the county public service board must expedite payment of the outstanding salary arrears for the 1,292 teachers whom the house has learnt have not been paid since January," Mr Teya said.

A report by the committee on education said the teachers had gone without pay for nearly one year.

The report was tabled in the house by Nominated MCA Monica Mwamba.

Diploma holders

The report said the teachers, some of whom were diploma holders, were hired for Sh13,000 a month.

Ms Mwamba said the executive had told the committee that nearly half of the teachers were employed without a budget.

"This is slavery. We cannot allow this to continue. If other diploma holders are earning good salaries, why should our ECDE teachers be underpaid?" asked the MCA.

Mekenene MCA Alfayo Ngereza asked why the county public service board should employ teachers without a budget.

Teya directed the executive to make a statement to the assembly on October 1, explaining how it planned to pay the teachers.

"How does the government expect the teachers to take care of their families if it is not paying them? This is sad," Teya said yesterday.