The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has issued a 7-day strike notice, demanding the government fulfill its commitments to educators.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori outlined four key demands in a statement to newsrooms on Friday. These include the immediate disbursement of all overdue funds for the teachers’ medical scheme.
Misori stated:
“The scheme, for which Parliament has allocated Ksh.15 billion, has virtually collapsed due to the government’s failure to remit premiums for more than six months. Nearly all private and mission hospitals have withdrawn from the scheme.”
The union insists on full implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), asserting that it was already agreed and cannot be withheld or re-negotiated
KUPPET demands that all 46,000 intern teachers be given permanent positions and that 20,000 new Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) teachers be hired immediately. Even with these additions, JSS schools would remain understaffed by nearly 73,000 teachers.
They insisted that these teachers should receive confirmation letters and their July salaries by next week. This demand comes after president Ruto commended MPs who voted “YES” to the finance bill terming one of the repercussions to its withdrawal as alteration to confirmation of 46,000 JSS teachers.
Misori criticized recent government statements:
“KUPPET rejects the excuses being advanced through innuendo in the media to the effect that these projects have been affected by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024. The government’s goal should be the removal of wastage in its operations, not the withdrawal of benefits to workers.”
He added:
“We are dismayed by casual statements being made by government functionaries on teachers’ welfare at a time when no less a person than the President has committed to look critically into the issues affecting our youth. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission, in particular, has sunk to the lowest depths imaginable in pliantly arming the government to subjugate workers.”
Misori concluded with a warning: “Should there be no progress on the four issues within seven days, the government should be well informed that schools will not open for the third term in September.”
Budget Cuts Affects CBA Implementation
This ultimatum follows the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) recent announcement that budget cuts would prevent them from honoring the CBA. TSC CEO Nancy Macharia informed MPs that their budget had been reduced by Ksh.10 billion, impacting the CBA’s second phase implementation. Macharia also stated that JSS intern teachers could only be absorbed from January, not this month as previously expected.
