We have no money to employ teachers, says Treasury

The government has no money to employ 28,000 new teachers on permanent terms, Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

In a statement issued in Parliament, Mr Kenyatta pleaded with teachers to end their strike and return to the negotiating table.

The shocking announcement made before an agitated Parliament means that the strike will persist given that teachers have vowed to stay put until their demands are met.

Mr Kenyatta told MPs-- who had specifically set aside a full hour of the parliamentary time to discuss the crisis in the public schools--that the government had no money; and that teachers, MPs and all concerned parties should go back to talks to see how the national shortfall of 76,000 teachers will be addressed permanently.

“It is not just a matter of allocating money which we don’t have,” the Finance minister said.

But the lawmakers threatened to reject the Appropriations Bill –to allow the government to access money from the Consolidated Fund—if it did not contain the money for the employment of teachers.

He told the lawmakers that Parliament’s Budget Committee and the Speaker had all agreed to the decision to postpone the recruitment and they should not claim to favour the strike.

“I’d like to remind this House that there were intense negotiations before this decision was taken and it even involved your (the Speaker’s) office… We agreed that this issue requires further discussion,” said Mr Kenyatta.

He defended the Treasury’s decision to allocate money to the military saying the four-year cycle for pay review in the military was due, and as such, there was discontent in the defence forces over poor pay.

“We had no choice but to agree to pay,” he said adding that the nurses and other civil servants are next on line.

That, plus the biting drought that continues to ravage the country putting 2.4 million Kenyans at risk, made the Treasury to put on ice the proposal to allocate money to absorb the 18,000 contract teachers into the permanent and pensionable roll, the minister said.

But Mr Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i) and David Ngugi (Kinangop) stopped the minister in his tracks and reminded him that the government had to learn to stick to its word and promise what it could deliver.  Mr Ngugi recalled that MPs had been promised that they won’t pay tax until the next Parliament, but the Treasury reneged.

Mr Namwamba on his part reminded the minister of a promise that the 18,000 teachers will be taken on board. The promise was made by Education minister Sam Ongeri.

“If indeed the Ministry of Education gave that commitment without consulting us,” Mr Kenyatta told MPs.

Mr Ntoitha M’Mithiaru (Igembe North) also rapped Mr Ongeri: “It is very sad for the minister of Education to say that the demands by teachers are unrealistic. I will invite him to a class two classroom in my constituency with 160 pupils, but with only one teacher.”

He said it was wrong to pay contract teachers “peanuts” compared to their colleagues on permanent terms.

“It is equal job for equal pay,” said Mr M’Mithiaru.

In an emotional debate in Parliament in which Mr Kenyatta and his mandarins at the Treasury got a bashing, the House called on President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to weigh in and end the on-going teachers’ strike that has crippled learning in public schools across the country.

The MPs castigated the Treasury for failing to allocate Sh5 billion to the Teachers Service Commission to employ 28,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

However, the lawmakers remained mum about the deal that they quietly struck with the Treasury and backed by House Speaker Kenneth Marende to postpone the recruitment of teachers in exchange for Sh2 billion to cover their back and future taxes.

Though MPs unanimously adopted the Budget Committee report without amendments, the savings created by budget cuts were sent to the military and other projects like the intelligence service that had in the first place not even been considered for additional funding.

Mr Silas Muriuki (Imenti North) moved the motion to interrupt the sitting to discuss the strike.

“We’re denying our children their basic human rights. The teachers are on strike because they want children given free and quality education. Without enough teachers in schools, children can go to school but they’ll not be getting quality education,” said Mr Muriuki. 

He added: “The government does not listen to teachers unless there is a strike. To get house allowance, commuter allowance and just about any other pay rise, the teachers had to strike. It is time to put a stop to this and get our priorities right. There’s no point of putting up a classroom without employment of teachers. The government is behaving like an irresponsible parent."

Dr Boni Khalwale (Ikolomani) and Mr John Mbadi (Gwassi) –the two MPs who had warned their colleagues against approving the budget without foolproof  assurance that money for teachers was included—said the Treasury has to find a way to address the Treasury’s needs.

“Because the minority was not listened to; look at the mess you’ve created,” said Dr Khalwale.

The MP said the money wasted on multibillion scandals in government like KenRen, free learning, Angloleasing, Goldenberg and the Tokyo embassy purchase ought to be used to employ teachers.

Dr Eseli Simiyu added: ‘This is a situation where somebody is trying to sabotage the President’s legacy of free primary education. The President did not say free primary attendance, where pupils just go to schools without teachers.”