Union to give cash to victims’ families

Seth Ligazo from Igunga village in Vihiga county at the Chiromo mortuary. He lost his son Douglas Ligazo who was a teacher in the Mandera bus attack on November 25, 2014. PHOTO | JENNIFER MUIRURI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Sossion dismissed a call by the Teachers Service Commission for union to retract its advice for teachers to leave certain regions of the country saying the safety of teachers must be a priority.
  • The latest killings have attracted a lot of condemnation with calls for the removal of Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku and police boss David Kimaiyo. The Kenya Defense Forces on Monday said it had killed at least 115 terrorists.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) will Thursday give families of the 28 people killed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera on Saturday Sh30,000 each.

Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion who spoke in Mombasa Tuesday said they had decided to donate the money to help the families with funeral arrangements.

He said they would also continue to pile pressure on the government to compensate the families and foot the funeral expenses. 

“The government must take responsibility for the killings,” he said adding that Knut will donate to every family whether the victim was a teacher or not, as a way of supporting them.

At the same time, Mr Sossion renewed calls on teachers to move out of Mandera and other areas that have been suffering insecurity.

“It is very expensive to train a teacher and we shall not allow our teachers to continue risking their lives in certain parts of the country,” he told the Kenya Teachers’ Colleges Principals’ Association annual conference at Milele Beach Hotel in Mombasa.

At least 24 of the victims were teachers who were coming back to Nairobi for the December festivities.

CERTAIN REGIONS

Mr Sossion dismissed a call by the Teachers Service Commission for union to retract its advice for teachers to leave certain regions of the country saying the safety of teachers must be a priority.

The latest killings have attracted a lot of condemnation with calls for the removal of Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku and police boss David Kimaiyo. The Kenya Defense Forces on Monday said it had killed at least 115 terrorists.