A showdown is expected today when a case on the teachers' strike will be heard by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
Both sides of the divide have hired top legal brains to vindicate them from the burden of being blamed for the strike that has paralysed third term schooling.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through lawyers Geoffrey Obura and Kimono Kiragu has maintained that the strike is illegal as no notice was issued.
However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers argue that the boycott was as a result of TSC's failure to honour the court's decision on the 50-60 per cent pay hike.
The unions have hired a team of senior counsel including Paul Muite, Ahmednassir Abdullahi and Kioko Kilukumi. Others are lawyers John Mbaluto, Hillary Sigei, Judy Guserwa and Harun Ndubi who are arguing that teachers will only resume work if their dues are paid as directed by the courts.
Mr Muite had already told Justice Nelson Abuodha that teachers were ready to resume work yesterday if the pay hike is implemented.