Uhuru calls for talks as TSC sues teachers

President Uhuru Kenyatta during a press briefing at State house on the 4th of July 2013 where he said the government was willing to come to an agreement with the teachers if only the teachers would present themselves at the negotiating table for dialogue. To the right is Deputy President William Ruto. Photo/EMMA NZIOKA

What you need to know:

  • The collapsed talks could not resume Thursday because the Labour Secretary, Mr Kazungu Kambi, was attending a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi.
  • However, Knut chairman Wilson Sossion responded that there was no good faith in the government’s request.
  • The parents led by Mr Nathan Baraza and Mr Musau Ndunda have also threatened to sue the government and the teachers’ unions for breaching the right to education.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday pleaded with teachers to end their strike and commence negotiations, as the Teachers Service Commission filed contempt of court proceedings against the staff union.

TSC filed an application in court asking it to fine the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Sh20 million for disobeying court orders. It also wants all teachers who are still on strike fined Sh10,000 each and order that the amount be deducted from their salaries.

And at a press conference at State House Nairobi, President Kenyatta said his government was ready to discuss with the striking teachers, but not “on the streets.”
End their strike

“On all issues, we stand ready to negotiate, but negotiation requires dialogue, otherwise it is just a monologue,” he said a few days after the Industrial Court ordered teachers to end their strike and the government to set up a team to resolve the dispute.

Knut has ignored a court order issued on Monday. And on Wednesday, talks called to hammer out a new deal ended without any agreement.

The collapsed talks could not resume Thursday because the Labour Secretary, Mr Kazungu Kambi, was attending a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi.

After the meeting, the President called a press conference to plead with Knut officials to return to the negotiating table.

“We need them at the table so that we can discuss all those issues. Let us have our teachers back in their classrooms, let us have their representatives sitting with government to resolve these issues,” Mr Kenyatta said.

He said that the government had set aside money in the current financial year to address some of the eight demands tabled by Knut, including the hiring of 10,000 more teachers and making budgetary provisions for promotions.

However, Knut chairman Wilson Sossion responded that there was no good faith in the government’s request.

“We are ready for talks even at night, but our concern is that the government negotiators are not sincere,” he said in a telephone interview.

“They keep changing goal posts and putting hurdles at every step; you can’t negotiate within such a framework.”

Mr Sossion cited the Wednesday negotiations that were chaired by Mr Kambi, which he said, started very well but changed dramatically in the evening, saying this demonstrated lack of commitment to resolve the dispute.

The union has been demanding at least eight issues to be resolved by the government. They include hiring more teachers to reduce the workload on teachers, give teachers their housing, hardship and commuter allowances and funds budgeted to fund promotions for those who have served for long in one job group.

Meanwhile, two parents’ lobby groups have asked the government to extend the school term to recover time lost during the ongoing teachers’ strike.

The parents led by Mr Nathan Baraza and Mr Musau Ndunda have also threatened to sue the government and the teachers’ unions for breaching the right to education.

“The strike has had far-reaching effects on learners including loss of academic hours,” said Mr Ndunda of the National Parents Association said. “Both parties — the government and the teachers unions — should remember that parents have paid school fees.”

At the same time, headteachers in both primary and secondary schools have warned of a possible slump in performance by public schools’ candidates in national exams if action is not taken to end the strike.