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Be patient as cash sought, DP Ruto tells teachers

Ruto says that the TSC is currently consulting with Parliament to review the budget to pay teachers.

Ruto says that the TSC is currently consulting with Parliament to review the budget to pay teachers.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 28 – Deputy President William Ruto has called on teacher to exercise patience as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) works on the process of paying them the 50 to 60 percent pay increase awarded to them by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

Ruto says that the TSC is currently consulting with Parliament to review the budget to pay teachers.

“Parliament will have to re-look at the budget so that it can be able to fund the teachers’ pay. It is not easy because the impact of slashing a budget from a ministry or department has to be assessed,” he stated.

“We have asked the concerned ministry to liaise with Teachers Service Commission to resolve this issue.”

His plea comes even as the Treasury was given the go-ahead to pay teachers and seek Parliament’s approval later.

Committee Chairperson Mutava Musyimi said they are yet to receive any proposals from the National Treasury on how it plans to effect the payments.

Members of the Committee have however expressed their disappointment with the Ministry of Education and National Treasury for not foreseeing the situation and planning for it.

In the meantime, Teachers in Laikipia have reiterated that they will go on strike should the government fail to honor the court directive to pay them their demands.

The teachers said they were ready to go to class once schools re-open next week but called on the government to obey the court orders.

Through the branch Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Executive Secretary Ndung’u Wangenya, the teachers observed that the government had not choice other than to obey the court order which he said was self explanatory.

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He said teachers will collaborate with the government to ensure that their welfare is respected.

He however added that teachers would call for a nationwide strike if the government fails to effect their pay rise by Monday next week.

The Supreme Court had found that it had no jurisdiction over the interlocutory orders issued by the Court of Appeal directing that the increment be effected starting August.

READ: Supreme win for teachers in pay dispute with TSC

The TSC had moved to the Supreme Court seeking a blanket suspension of the High Court’s pay increase orders pending the hearing and determination of their appeal.

The Court of Appeal had suspended the back-dating of the pay increment but not its execution going forward.

The hearing of TSC’s substantive appeal will kick off on September 22.

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