Teachers in Nakuru took to the streets on Monday afternoon to celebrate a ruling by the Supreme Court upholding a pay increment awarded to them by a lower court in June.
Waving placards with congratulatory messages and leaves as a show of solidarity with all teachers across the nation who were eagerly awaiting the verdict, the teachers couldn’t hide their joy.
They traversed different main streets in the town’s Central Business District before converging at the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) offices.
A majority of teachers who spoke to Hivisasa expressed contentment with the ruling saying that the Supreme Court had demonstrated independence and professionalism.
“We have won as teachers of this country. For a very long time, we have been paid peanuts in regard to our workload and the important role we play of instilling knowledge in society,” noted Thomas Kipyegon, a teacher.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had moved to court to halt a 50 – 60 per cent pay increment to all public teachers on the grounds that there was no money to facilitate the whole process.
While reading out the ruling, Judge Ndoma asked TSC to review the salaries so as to match with job groups of other civil servants.
With the court order expected to be necessitated immediately, teachers expect to feel the change in their September salaries.