The lack of harmonization of the Municipal Enhanced Allowance (MEA) for teachers in primary and secondary schools in Trans Nzoia has been identified as the major cause of the county’s teacher staffing imbalance.
This is also the case in other counties where municipal local authorities existed before the 2010 New Constitution, like Kisumu, Nakuru, Kwale, Kilifi, Meru, and Kisii towns, which Mayors headed.
According to Eliud Wafula, the Trans Nzoia Chairman of KUPPET, the imbalance of teachers has caused teachers in rural areas to seek transfers to the favoured urban-based schools so that they can benefit from these special allowances set to offset their housing schemes.
When the matter was set to be discussed by the National Assembly after being presented by the former Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Prof Kindiki Kithure, before he was appointed as the Deputy President, the issue was left in abeyance.Since assuming office over two to three months ago, the incumbent Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has yet to address the matter to alleviate the growing concern of potential teacher movement from rural areas to towns, cities, and newly elevated municipalities under the devolved governments.
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Wafula says the boundaries dictating for teachers to benefit from the MEA are in accordance with the areas drawn by the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) as Wards and Constituencies that belonged to the old Local Authorities over which the Ministry of Education had no authority.
For example, teachers at St Antony’s Boys’ Secondary in Kitale are entitled to the MES. At the same time, those of the neighbouring St Monica’s Girls’ High School are not benefactors. Reason: St Monica’s is situated within the Kwanza Constituency, which was created after the defunct Kitale municipality.
Some schools with both primary and secondary sections experiencing ambiguities include St. Columban’s, Kibomet Mixed, Hill School, Matisi Mixed, Maziwa and Tuwan Girls’.
The irony is that teachers in a primary school section are paid for the special allowance, unlike those in the secondary section within the same compound, who are left out. This is because the primary section was built in the past under the management of municipal councils.
“Who needs the allowances most, the teacher in the rural area or the urban?” he questioned adding that the man or woman living in rural areas has more challenges in terms of housing and cost of living than the one teaching in urban schools.
Consequently, the Trans Nzoia KUPPET has petitioned the top union organs to revive the matter with the Ministry of Interior and the National Assembly for the MEA to be paid to teachers based on geographical boundaries other than the political borders of Wards and Constituencies.
Additionally, the KUPPET branch has written to all the MPs in the county: Kakai Bisau (Kiminini), Dr Robert Pukose (Endebess), Ferdinand Wanyonyi (Kwanza), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Patrick Simiyu (Cherangany), and Women Rep Lilian Siyoi to look into the legislation that could support local national secondary schools having all their teachers paid salaries by the MoE.
The branch cited the Alliance Boys and Alliance Girls as some national high schools with no Board of Management (BoM) teachers..
“This is the opposite with our national schools in Trans Nzoia St Joseph’s Boys’ and St Brigid’s Girls’, where the BoM has been allowed to hire teachers on contracts,” Wafula said, adding that teachers in national schools countrywide should be allowed to enjoy the specks.
In the same vein, the Kitale National Polytechnic was recently placed under the Public Service Commission (PSC) payroll ‘’ as the best priority’’ after undergoing strenuous struggles to pay its tutors and instructors.
The branch noted that the workload had reduced significantly with no Form Classes for this current education year under the CBC. They expected the release of teachers to understaffed schools to be a smooth exercise.
For Trans Nzoia County, TSC Director Solomon Lesewo has stressed the need for special attention to rural schools and more teachers during the transfer period.
Wafula said the TSC director implemented the movement based on Ward levels.
By Abisai Amugune
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