State to hire 10,000 teachers as Kaimenyi insists strike is illegal
Education, science and technology cabinet secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi before the Committee on Appointments at KICC on May 9, 2013. Prof Kaimenyi is adamant that the teachers’ strike was illegal; arguing the pay the staffers were seeking had been fully implemented. Photo/FILE
The government will employ 10,000 teachers next month to alleviate staff shortage in schools, Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi said on Friday.
In what amounted to a climb-down from an earlier position, the government has also agreed to promote teachers due for upgrade.
These are among the concessions the government is making in response to demands by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), which called out its members on strike this week to protest over non-payment of allowances amounting to Sh47 billion.
Also, the union had demanded recruitment of teachers and promotion of those due for upgrade.
However, Prof Kaimenyi was adamant that the teachers’ strike was illegal; arguing the pay the staffers were seeking had been fully implemented.
“The strike has no basis in law and we are eagerly waiting for the resolution of the Industrial Court on the matter so that we can take the necessary action,” he said.
He went ahead to clarify that he had not ordered withdrawal of teachers’ salary as earlier reported after he had addressed a previous press conference.
The Cabinet Secretary was speaking at consultative meeting with Kenya Editors Guild at Serena Hotel in Nairobi.
He was with Information and Communication Technology Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and principal secretaries Collete Suda (Higher Education), Bello Kipsang’ (Education) and Joseph Tiampaty (Information).
Blunt and unapologetic, Prof Kaimenyi dismissed those criticising the planned roll-out of laptops to Standard One children next year, saying they were ill-informed about new trends and development in education.
The secretary to the Teachers Service Commission, Mr Gabriel Lengoibon, sought to put matters in perspective, saying they were seeking an amicable and consultative resolution to the teachers’ strike that has paralysed learning in schools.
P2 phase out
“We must be ready to listen and reason with teachers because that was the surest way of reaching a compromise,” he said.
Mr Lengoibon said TSC was reviewing teachers’ grade and among others, will phase out P2 grade and promote all the occupants to P1.
Dr Matiang’i urged Knut to return to the negotiation table, saying the government was willing to listen to their case.
