- BoM employees report sharply different experiences depending on how individual schools manage their welfare and employment.
- Timely salaries, clear contracts and respectful supervision can make even modest employment arrangements more dignified.
- Concerns persist over delayed pay, low wages, holiday arrangements, deductions and treatment of some school workers.
Board of Management (BoM) workers remain an indispensable part of Kenya’s education system, yet their experiences vary sharply from one school to another.
While some workers report delayed salaries, piecemeal payments, low wages, long working hours, third-party deductions, unpaid school holidays and disrespectful treatment, others say they work in schools where BOM employees are treated with dignity, paid on time and supported by responsible management.
That contrast offers an important lesson: the challenge is not necessarily the existence of BOM employment, but how it is managed.
In schools where workers are treated well, timely payment is often one of the most appreciated forms of recognition.
Employees say receiving their full salaries when expected allows them to plan their lives, meet family obligations and work with greater peace of mind.
Such schools also demonstrate that respect does not require elaborate programmes.
Clear communication, professional supervision, reasonable working hours, defined responsibilities and appreciation for good performance can significantly improve the workplace environment.
Some schools also recognise that BoM workers have families and responsibilities outside the school compound.
They understand that a security guard protecting valuable school equipment, a teacher handling a classroom, a cleaner maintaining hygiene or a cook preparing meals is not simply performing a task.
They are supporting a family through that work.
This is particularly important when schools close for holidays.
While some BOM workers report losing their income during closures, better-managed institutions can provide clearer contractual arrangements and communicate openly with employees about holiday duties, payment and expectations.
The difference can be transformative.
A worker who knows when they will be paid can budget.
A worker who knows their responsibilities can perform them confidently.
A worker who is treated respectfully is more likely to feel valued and committed to the institution.
The other reality
But not every BOM worker enjoys that experience.
Some report salaries that are below government rates for comparable work, long working hours and delayed payments.
Others say that when payment eventually arrives, it may come piecemeal, forcing them to wait for the balance.
Third-party deductions are another source of concern, with workers calling for greater transparency about deductions and their authorisation.
Some also complain of being pushed into menial duties outside their agreed responsibilities or being addressed in unprofessional and demeaning language.
The contrast with well-managed schools is striking.
Where one school may ensure that a worker receives their full salary on time, another may leave an employee waiting and wondering how they will meet their household obligations.
Teachers are part of the BoM workforce
The conversation must also include BOM teachers.
Many schools rely on teachers employed through their Boards of Management to bridge staffing gaps and ensure learners receive instruction.
These teachers prepare lessons, teach, assess learners and participate in school activities.
Yet their employment conditions can differ significantly from those of teachers employed by the government.
The question is whether schools can depend on their services while overlooking the welfare of the people delivering them.
The guard who protects millions
BOM security guards provide another powerful illustration.
They can be entrusted with school assets worth hundreds of millions of shillings, including computers, laboratories, vehicles, furniture and other equipment.
They may work through the night, during weekends and even when learners are away.
Yet some receive low wages and, according to workers’ complaints, may face delays or uncertainty over payment.
The contrast is compelling:
A worker can be trusted to protect millions but struggle to secure enough money for basic household needs.
The holiday dilemma
The question of school holidays remains particularly sensitive.
Why should workers be important during term time and disregarded when schools close?
A school may stop lessons, but workers still have families to support.
Rent remains due.
Food remains necessary.
Children still need care.
Debts remain payable.
For security personnel, school property remains on site and may still require protection.
Clear employment contracts should therefore establish whether BoM workers are employed throughout the year, whether they are required to work during holidays and how they should be compensated.
Dignity makes a difference
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons from schools that treat BoM workers well is that dignity is not expensive.
A respectful supervisor costs nothing.
Clear communication costs little.
Paying workers on time is a management responsibility.
Recognising good performance can strengthen morale.
Allowing employees to raise concerns without fear creates trust.
These practices can transform the relationship between schools and their workers.
The better examples demonstrate that BOM workers do not need to be treated as second-class employees simply because they are not on the government payroll.
They can be held accountable while still being respected.
They can be supervised without being humiliated.
They can be assigned responsibilities without being exploited.
And they can be paid modest salaries without those salaries being delayed or arbitrarily reduced.
A tale of two workplaces
The emerging picture is therefore not entirely bleak.
There are schools where BOM workers say they are valued, paid promptly, communicated with professionally and treated as part of the institution.
Those schools provide an important counterpoint to the complaints emerging elsewhere.
They show that responsible management can make a difference.
The goal should therefore be to ensure that good treatment becomes the standard rather than the exception.
BOM workers are part of the education workforce.
They teach.
They guard.
They clean.
They cook.
They maintain.
They support.
And behind every worker is a family with real responsibilities.
Whether they receive their salary on time can determine whether a child eats, whether rent is paid or whether a household falls into debt.
The school calendar may determine when learners attend classes, but it should not determine whether workers deserve dignity.
When schools open, BoM workers matter. When schools close, they still matter.
The best schools already understand this.
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Their example shows that timely payment, professional treatment, clear communication, reasonable working conditions and recognition can turn a difficult employment arrangement into a dignified one.
The challenge now is to make that experience the norm for every BOM worker.
By Hillary Muhalya
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