Mutula orders teachers back to work

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Kilonzo said the government would harmonise teachers’ salaries with other civil servants and implement an increase in three phases/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 19 – Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo has directed striking teachers to resume work on Thursday morning, failure to which they would face serious consequences.

Kilonzo said the government would harmonise teachers’ salaries with other civil servants and implement an increase in three phases.

“We have no budget now. The teachers are requested to report to their duty stations immediately and I mean tomorrow morning, failure to which I will be making recommendations to the Cabinet. So watch this space, for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction, so there will be consequences,” he warned.

He said that the government had offered the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to implement pay in three phases of Sh4.5 billion each, but which KNUT had rejected and instead demanded the entire Sh13.5 billion.

Kilonzo maintained that it was not possible for the government to implement the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) demand of 300 percent increment at once but can only do it in three phases.

“KNUT was demanding a 300 percent salary increment, which amounts to Sh460 billion annually up from the current TSC budget of Sh119 billion per annum.”

“The government within the prevailing economic difficulties has committed itself to realign teachers’ salaries within three phases,” he explained.

The Minister asked the teachers to be realistic and also honour the agreement they made with the government.

The Minister said he will on Thursday morning brief the Cabinet on the status of the discussion with the parties concerned to ensure education in public schools returns to normalcy in view that students are about to sit for the national examinations.

He also assured parents and students that examinations will not be cancelled despite the strike that has paralysed learning across all public schools.

JUDIE KABERIA

JUDIE KABERIA

Judie is a Special Projects Reporter. She has eight years experience in Journalism in Kenya and Germany. She has scooped awards in Reproductive Health, Population and Development and Gender and Development. She has participated in international conferences in Germany. She has a soft spot for human rights and justice stories.

  • stanslaus wekesa

    The government should stop treating teachers as second hand Kenyans and that their salary demands must only be paid in phases. These will go a long way to demotivate them, no wonder any student when asked about careers they rarely mention teaching. These must change and its time has come.

  • omar james

    I cant belief my hears that it is the senior counsel Mutura making those threats

  • Sasha Dayo

    I wonder what is wrong with our leaders. As soon as one is given a position at work, one needs to know what is underway. The achievements, challenges, strategies name it…… and you make a plan before things start heating you. But this is not the same with our government, they have always known about the deal they made with teachers in 1997. Now they don’t have money……… But they have wasted funds (from our tax money) on very irrelevant events, situations, emergencies which could be avoided name it….Now future adults are suffering….. The government has got ‘deaf’ ears