No Helicopter Rides for Teachers to Terror-Prone Schools in Boni Forest Teachers teaching in the terror-prone Boni Forest have been advised to find alternative modes of transportation to the villages as Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopters are no longer available.When schools reopen, security officials cannot use KDF helicopters, which they have previously used to transport teachers. Lamu County Commissioner Wesley Koech said that the Lamu security team has recently found it nearly impossible to acquire military helicopters to transport the over 30 teachers to Boni Forest. The accident of a military helicopter in Elgeyo-Marakwet County on April 18, which killed Chief…
Author: Nyanchoka
UoN Criticized for Offering Ksh.50 per Hour in Work Study Program. The University of Nairobi (UoN) has come under fire for revealing the specifics of its Work Study Programme (WSP) for the September-December 2024 semester, which pays only Ksh.50 per hour. UoN officially developed the WSP to provide registered students with practical work opportunities in university departments, partner industries, government institutions, private sector organizations, and civil society groups. The initiative strives to help underprivileged students while also expanding their professional skill sets. UoN Dean of Students and Career Services Jonson Ireri Kinyua encouraged them to apply for the program in…
TSC Behind-The-Scenes Tactics that Made KUPPET to End Teachers Strike. Negotiations, cash denial, intimidation, and threats to cripple the union were among the techniques used by the government and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to persuade the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) to end their strike on Monday evening, according to the Nation. Due to their conflicting interests, some members of the union’s national executive board (NEB) have also faced accusations of acting as double agents for the government. On Monday, the NEB conducted a day-long conference with the TSC, following which they announced the strike’s cancellation.…
Gov’t Increases Salaries for civil servants to Avert Strike: New Earnings. Civil servants are due to receive a wage increase of between Ksh. 1,000 and Ksh. 3,000, retroactive to July 1. Public Service Principal Secretary Amos Gathecha signed a circular stating that civil officials would also receive a higher housing allowance. According to the new structure, which covers the second phase of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the lowest cadre within the civil service, currently paid Ksh. 16,910, will now receive Ksh. 18,250. Similarly, people earning Ksh. 19,220 per month will now receive Ksh. 20,560, beginning July 1, 2024. Government…
Misori Defends Decision to Halt Teachers’ Strike, Says He Followed KUPPET Laws. Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) are growing resentful of the cancellation of their one-week nationwide strike. Several branch leaders have condemned Secretary General Akelo Misori for terminating the strike without contacting them, but Misori says he followed the union’s laws and procedures. The KUPPET strike concluded on Monday evening, and students who had yet to report returned on Tuesday to begin their third term of study this year. KUPPET branch leaders argue that the National Governing Council alone should have suspended the strike. This group voted on…
University Students Threaten Nationwide Strike Over New funding model. Student leaders from universities across the nation, including private ones, are calling for the revision or elimination of the current university funding model to prevent the suspension of instruction at all universities. Students are also pushing for a reduction in the interest rate on higher education loans from 4% to 2%. This comes a day after students at the University of Nairobi demonstrated against the new university funding arrangement. If not completely canceled, the students want the model modified, notably by removing the last two bands, which they believe are punishing.…
Cracks in KUPPET Over Strike Cancellation, Executive Body Terms TSC Deal Fruitless. Cracks have appeared in the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) after its National Executive Board (NEB) called off the two-week teachers’ strike on Monday without consulting the union’s highest decision-making body. This has resulted in considerable dissatisfaction among branch officials from all 47 counties, who feel sidelined in making the decision. The National Governing Council (NGC), which includes executive secretaries from 47 branches and 10 NEB members, is the union’s highest decision-making body and has the right to launch or call off industrial action. On Sunday,…
No Return-to-Work Agreements Signed Between TSC and KUPPET. It has emerged that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the government had decided not to sign any return-to-work agreements at the end of teachers’ strike. No such document was signed yesterday according to The Standard. Instead, they read the same statement from the Kenya School of Government meeting, delivering a significant blow to Kuppet. The Kenya School of Government promised both KNUT and KUPPET Sh13 billion for the second phase of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was the highest amount the unions had requested. Following the release of the billions…
Civil Servants’ Union Challenges SRC’s Suspension of salary Increment. The Union of Kenya Civil Servants has filed a court challenge to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s (SRC) decision to suspend compensation increases for all civil personnel. The union claims that the SRC’s decision denies its members’ entitlement to a pay increase. They request that the court grant a provisional order instructing SRC to delay its decision pending a hearing and resolution of the application. “Our members and low and middle-level employees, and hence any salary cut or delay in any manner, is likely to have a significant financial impact on…
TSC Initiates CPG Review, Set to Promote 51,000 of 130,000 Stagnant Teachers. Furthermore, TSC stated that they have initiated a review of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). She also stated that the panel intends to compensate teachers operating in administrative positions in an acting capacity. “We are committed to ensuring the welfare of our teachers and providing them with necessary resources to deliver quality education,” according to Macharia. The meeting also agreed that TSC will initially promote 51,000 teachers, as the remaining 130,000, according to the union, have stagnated. This was the reason for the Kenya National Union of Teachers’…