- Nyamira ECDE teachers have begun a strike after their notice to the county government expired.
- KUNOPPET officials say teachers will remain out of classrooms until their grievances are addressed in writing.
- The union cites low pay, delayed salaries, stalled promotions, insecure employment and poor working conditions among its concerns.
Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers in Nyamira County have started their strike today, Monday, after the expiry of the notice they had issued to the County Government to address their grievances.
Speaking to Education News in Nyamira town, Nyamira branch KUNOPPET officials Kasmirl Mose, Eunice Momanyi and Linet Nyakundi, the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer respectively, said they will not attend to children in classrooms until their demands are met.
The officials said their first grievance is the non-payment of salary increments recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) since March 2023. They said the County Government has ignored the circular despite several reminders.
Secondly, they decried low payment of ECDE teachers, especially Diploma and Certificate holders. They said most of them earn between Sh12,000 and Sh18,000 per month, an amount they termed too little to sustain them despite their professional qualifications and long working hours.
The teachers also raised concern over lack of permanent and pensionable employment. They said the majority of ECDE teachers in the county are still serving on casual and short-term contracts, some for more than five years, without job security, medical cover or pension.
They further complained about lack of promotion and career progression. According to them, teachers who have upgraded from certificate to diploma and degree levels have stagnated in the same job groups with no recognition or salary adjustment.
Poor working conditions in ECDE centres were also cited. They said many centres lack proper classrooms, desks, learning materials, toilets and clean water, forcing teachers to operate in pathetic environments that affect learning.
Union raises salary, SHA concerns
The union officials also accused the county of delayed payment of salaries, saying some teachers go for two to three months without pay, and failure to remit statutory deductions to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The teachers accused Governor Amos Nyaribo of remaining insensitive to their demands after promising them better working and remuneration conditions for a long time and vowed not to adhere to any unfruitful promises from him any further.
They vowed to keep away from classrooms until the County Government of Nyamira invites them to a round-table and addresses all their grievances in writing.
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Efforts to get a comment from the County Executive for Education were not successful by the time of going to press.
By Enock Okong’o
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