Strike teachers arrested

• Learning paralysed as union declares Day One of national boycott a success

Forty two teachers and union officials were on Monday arrested as the strike by teachers in public schools over pay demands paralysed learning.

The highest number of arrests was in Emuhaya in Western province, where 31 teachers were picked up by police for participating in demonstrations.

Eight teachers were arrested in Mombasa while two were picked up in Meru and one in Gatundu.

Confrontation between protesting teachers and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) officials, on one hand, and police on the other, took place in Mombasa, Kiambu, Gatundu, Meru, Kakamega, Isiolo and Vihiga districts.

In some instances, police used teargas to disperse teachers who had taken to the streets, waving placards as they protested.

Tens of teachers are said to have been injured in the clashes.

Protect learners

Some school boards of governors and management committees took over the running of boarding schools to protect the learners.

The Teachers Service Commission and Knut gave different assessments of the strike.

Knut described the day as a major success but the TSC said the strike had only succeeded in primary schools but that learning had continued in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Teachers are demanding a Sh19.2 billion salary increase paid in one instalment, with the least paid teacher earning a basic salary of Sh13,750 and the highest Sh120,000.

But the Government is offering Sh17.3 billion distributed in three instalments, with the lowest paid teacher getting Sh11,433 in the first year, while the highest will be paid Sh71,338 without allowances.

The situation in Nairobi remained calm as teachers stayed away from schools while those who reported to work stayed in the staff room.

The teachers fought running battles with police in Mombasa most of the day.

Pupils who arrived for the morning assembly were turned away while a majority stayed at home.

In Vihiga and Emuhaya districts, 31 teachers were arrested for demonstrating.

Area Knut chairman Evans Lukalo and executive secretary Tom Kisia were among those arrested on the Majengo-Luanda road where scores of teachers shouted in support of taxing MPs.

Hundreds of teachers boycotted teaching and barricaded the Kerugoya-Kutus road while those from Kirinyaga district blocked the Kirinyaga-Sagan highway.

Prayer meeting

In Meru, Knut branch chairman Kaburu Mugambi and treasurer Peter Meme were arrested after attending a prayer meeting at Maua stadium.

Eastern Province national executive council representative Robert Mutwiri Inoti condemned the arrest and called for immediate release of the officials.

Imenti North MP Silas Muriuki said the Government should give the teachers their dues immediately.

Barely two weeks into the term, the pupils were left to the mercy of school workers and the members of the board.

A spot check by the Nation revealed that pupils were not learning. They were playing in the school grounds during the morning hours.

Primary schools were hard hit on the first day of the national strike and parents began picking up their children as early as 10am.

At Machakos primary school, desperate school clerks did not know what to do with more than 1,000 children at her disposal.

The children left their classes at 8am for the morning assembly but there was no one to address them.

More than 3, 000 teachers from primary and secondary schools and colleges took to the streets of Kiambu town. They burnt an effigy of Education minister Sam Ongeri, accusing him of betrayal.

“We are concerned about the welfare of our students especially the final year candidates,” said Mr Collins Wanderi, who asked the Government to find a solution urgently.

Secondary schools gave mixed signals, with teachers belonging to rival trade unions creating tension in staff rooms across the country.

Through Secretary-General Lawrence Majali, the teachers argued that the strike would bear fruits and the Government would yield to their demands.

“It is going to be a successful strike,” he expressed optimism.

Knut officials in Wajir district described the teachers’ strike as successful.

“We are all set to continue until our demands are met and nothing can turn us back,” said Chairman Ibrahim Ali.