A Catholic bishop has urged President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to intervene and address the issue of teachers’ salaries to avert a looming strike saying it will disrupt learning in public schools.
Speaking after a Sunday mass, Eldoret Diocese Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir said it is sad that Uhuru and Ruto continue to keep mum while teachers’ rights are being infringed by a few self-centered individuals.
"Teachers have the right to a good pay since they do a lot to educate our children despite their fewer numbers and poor working conditions. Since independence, teachers have been paid poorly and the Government must now seek a way of settling the issue before it gets out of hand,” he advised.
The Supreme Court will on Monday rule on an appeal by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) challenging the decision by Industrial Court judge Nduma Nderi in June to award teachers a pay rise of between 50 and 60 per cent.
The Appeals court upheld the lower court’s ruling, a move that prompted the TSC to move to the Supreme Court.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers has threatened to go on strike over the pay matter.
Korir reiterated that teachers deserve even more than the 50-60 per cent as awarded to the Industrial Court judge Nduma Nderi and that the government should use the billions lost due to corruption to pay them.
"The government should withdraw the case they appealed at the Supreme Court and pay teachers their dues. What is wrong with paying teachers well like other civil servants? Why are they denied good pay due to their numbers saying that they have n money, the president and his deputy must come to the rescue of teachers,” he said.
He added that if teachers will go strike, the plight of students, especially the Standard Eight and Form Four candidates who are expected to sit their national examinations in Third term will be in jeopardy. "I urge the President and his deputy to dialogue with the teachers and seek an amicable solution to the matter,” he stated.