Kisumu County teachers are now appealing to Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi not to contest the industrial court verdict that has awarded teachers a pay rise of between 50-60 per cent.
Kisumu County chairman of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Zablon Awange on Wednesday said appealing the ruling is a tactic by the government to delay the pay rise.
Awange said teachers wanted a 200 per cent increase but are content with the current raise in the short-run.
"In the meantime we will settle for that increment but our end goal is to have a 200 per cent increase in our pay,” he said.
He urged the government to obey the court order and start sourcing for funds to start paying the teachers the increment awarded.
Speaking at an interview in Kisumu, Awange said appealing the court verdict would force the teachers to go back to the streets.
He has said it will be clear that the government is not yet ready to pay teachers according to the work they have been doing.
Awange said teachers have for a long time been agitating for better pay and the union will stop at nothing until that is achieved.
“The appeal will be a clear manifestation that the government is not ready to give us what we deserve as servants of this country,” he said.