No July pay, Education PS now tells teachers

Teachers who took part in the recently ended nationwide strike will not be paid their July salaries, the government has said.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang Saturday said teachers who boycotted work for over three weeks must be ready to face the consequences of their action.

“If you miss to go to work, there are consequences. You only get rewarded for your service,” said Dr Kipsang.

The government has maintained that the teachers’ work stoppage led by Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) was illegal.

Speaking at Kimalel Secondary School in Wareng during ACK Eldoret Diocese education day, Dr Kipsang, however, said the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) would engage Knut on the issue.

There have been reports that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission has asked the Teachers’ Service Commission to withhold teachers’ July pay because they absconded from duty.

Speaking at the same function, ACK Eldoret diocese Bishop Dr Christopher Ruto asked the government to pay the teachers’ salaries in full.

“The government should not chop the teachers’ pay. Teachers have families, and it will be unfair to punish them,” he said.

Teachers, he said, used the right channels to raise their grievances as provided for in the Constitution.

“It is our prayers that the government and teachers’ union leaders will sit together and address this issue,” he said.

Knut Nandi North branch secretary Josephat Serem and his Eldoret East counterpart Sammy Bor warned the government against victimising teachers for taking part in the strike.

“In our return-to-work formula, we agreed that no teacher would be victimised and we are surprised at the sudden turn of events,” said Mr Serem.

If the government goes ahead to withhold the teachers’ pay, he said, they will resort to a go-slow.

Meanwhile, the government is developing a policy that will see teachers rewarded for impressive performance through promotions.

“The government is working on a productivity Bill that will see teachers sign performance contracts,” said the principal secretary.

He said the ministry was not expecting much opposition to the proposed law given that teachers have been setting targets for themselves.

“We want to measure what teachers are doing in schools through documentation so that they are rewarded for their work,” said Dr Kipsang.

There has been concern over teacher absenteeism in schools, therefore, affecting the quality of education.