State duped teachers on new jobs, says Kuppet

By Rawlings Otieno

Nairobi, Kenya: The stage has been set for yet another titanic battle between a teachers’ union and the Government over alleged unkept promises.

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) claimed that teachers have been duped by the announcement that 5,000 teachers would be recruited this year.

Kuppet Deputy Secretary General Moses N’thurima said Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi had no mandate to make such an announcement as the budget proposal is still at the parliamentary committee stage.

“The purported agreement between Knut and the Education CS is diversionary and hollow. It should be known that the terms and conditions of service for teachers is negotiated by teachers remuneration committee at TSC and not Kaimenyi,” said N’thurima.

He said the issue of promotion of 7,500 teachers was a component of the negotiated package Kuppet signed last year, citing that employment of 5,000 teachers is a mockery to the pupils and the students of the country.

Natural attrition

According to Kuppet, by the end of this year close to 30,000 teachers will be leaving the service after they attain the retirement age of 60.

Apart from the retiring teachers, some teachers have left the service due to natural attrition.

“The CS should not cheat the public that he is addressing the problem of shortage of teachers by only recruiting 5,000. We don’t know whether this number will be replacing the teachers who have left the service through attrition or he is bridging the pupil-teacher ration,” added the official.

Speaking at the union offices yesterday, Kuppet maintained that Kaimenyi is misleading the teachers that the second phase of the commuter allowance would be paid yet there is still a deficit of Sh700 million.

The union accused Kaimenyi of acting outside the tenets of the Teachers Service Commission Act 2012 that mandates the teachers remuneration committee in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to negotiate the terms and conditions of service for teachers.

Kuppet Chair Omboko Milemba warned that if the issues agreed upon last year are not implemented, they would be left with no other option but to boycott duties.

“All we want is for the Government to implement the pending issues. It’s only the teachers who have never been paid leave allowances. These are the issues we presented to the budget committee for consideration. If not implemented, then we will down our tools,” said Milemba.