Ruto to Address Nation Amid Looming Teachers’ Strike as Unions Vow to Halt School Reopenings
President William Ruto is poised to deliver a national address on the new university funding model and the impending teachers’ strike, among other pressing educational matters, in a Sunday evening briefing.
A statement from the Education Ministry reveals that Dr. Ruto will tackle “critical issues in education” during a town hall forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
The announcement follows the government’s last-minute attempts to prevent a job walkout by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).
Both Knut and Kuppet have directed educators to abstain from school openings on Monday, August 26, 2024, until further notice.
On Sunday, Kuppet’s National Governing Council voted overwhelmingly—68 in favor, 2 against—to endorse the strike, instructing members to stay away from schools on Monday.
Secretary-General Akelo Misori emphasized their resolve, attributing the move to the government’s failure to address teachers’ concerns.
“We are urging our teachers to avoid schools or giving any indication of reporting for duty. The strike is in full effect,” he said.
Misori noted that the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) only addressed one—Phase II of their Collective Bargaining Agreement—of the ten issues raised by the union, which included promotion and the hiring of intern teachers.
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“At our meeting at the School of Government, the TSC demonstrated no commitment to resolving the issues. Despite the meeting’s significance, no agreement was signed,” he added.
The Secretary-General also criticized the government’s handling of the situation, particularly Finance Cabinet Secretary John Mbad’s dismissal of the planned recruitment of 46,000 secondary school teachers as baseless.
“He claimed that the hiring of 46,000 unionized teachers was merely a parliamentary education committee’s suggestion, not a confirmed plan. However, our investigations showed otherwise, as it was discussed, and we issued the strike notice believing the government’s commitment to employ the teachers was genuine,” Misori said.
Kuppet reiterated that the integrity of the teaching profession must be defended from what they termed the “casualization” of teachers, voicing concerns over exploitative labor practices and ambiguous contract terms.
“The TSC is demeaning the teaching profession by hiring qualified, registered teachers as casual labor. This generalization must end, and poor labor practices or unclear contracts must be halted. Protecting the profession is central in this dispute,” Misori declared.
He further mentioned that the Labor Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua’s failure to appoint a conciliator by Friday forced the union to push forward with the strike, with no clear negotiation timeline in sight.
“In light of this, we informed him via email that the strike would proceed until a conciliatory body convenes. Despite this, teachers nationwide will not return to work and will ensure no learning takes place,” Misori stated.
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The union also hinted that the government never intended to fulfill the promises tied to the CBA implementation.
“Kenya’s teachers, along with concerned parents and stakeholders, must take this strike seriously as it’s a critical issue,” Misori added.
Kisumu County branch Kuppet Executive Secretary Zablon Awange announced that day one of the strikes would begin with a church service in the city center on Sunday.
He called on officials from all seven sub-counties to coordinate the event, which included picketing and presenting their demands to the regional TSC office.
In alignment with the national leadership, Awange urged teachers to turn out in large numbers to press the government to meet all demands.
“Our branch met last Thursday and resolved that the strike remains until the teachers’ employer addresses every grievance without exception,” he said.
Awange labeled it “unfortunate” that teachers have been blacklisted by Credit Reference Bureaus (CRB) due to TSC’s delayed remittance of loan premiums.
Ruto to Address Nation Amid Looming Teachers’ Strike as Unions Vow to Halt School Reopenings
