By Amoto Ndiewo
Garissa Teachers College housing has closed following a ten-month non-payment of 52 non-teaching staff.
A month ago the non-teaching staff peacefully picketed over a nine month non-payment of salaries.
The 52 labourers including cooks, watchmen, carpenters and gardeners lamented that several attempts to seek audience with the college administration had borne no fruit.
Speaking to the press, Principal Peter Mogoshi admitted that non-teaching staff had gone unpaid since January this year.
Absolving any blame, Mogoshi explained that the national government had not availed the funds for the past two financial years.
“The grant which the government is supposed to give us every quarter and which we depend on to pay salaries for non-teaching staff hasn’t been forthcoming,” he said.
He added that the government had also slashed the grant based on the number of enrolled students.
“We used to get Ksh4.5 million but currently we get Ksh2.2 million only covering one month. Making the situation no rosier is that our wage bill stands at Ksh1.3 million per mont,” noted Mogoshi.
Though many blame non remittance of funds as unfair, Mogoshi stands accused of poor planning, when he disclosed that the college is servicing a Ksh20 million loan for staff houses building.
“The government should give us a grant not based on the number of students to enable us find a solution for the salary delays,” suggested the principal.
The institution which is the only teachers training college in North Eastern counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa has 54 subordinates against an expected 23.
“I have tried reducing the number but met with stiff resistance because of political allegiance,” he said.
Speaking to the press, Mohamed Aden, a non-teaching staff member called on local leaders led by Aden Duale, the former Garissa Township MP and now Defence CS to intervene and help resolve the impasse.
“The situation has taken a toll on us, over nine months without pay is like working for a year for free,” he said.
Mohamed Abdi, another non-teaching staff said that some of them have already retired without gratuity.
“We have tried to seek audience with the school principal but he keeps shifting the blame saying the problem lies with the national government which hasn’t disbursed the funds. How true that is, what we don’t know,’’ he noted.
However, Garissa street wit, Abdi Guliye blamed the college’s administration for being non innovative.
“Why pump Ksh20 million on staff housing on tutors who earn house allowance,” he posed.
Guliye suggested that with the Ksh5 million loan, the college could have invested in commercial livestock farming and horticulture.
“Such a venture could not only have fed the few students but also repaid itself in less than five years,” suggested Guliye who proposes that even Garissa University ought to follow suit, instead of relying on government funds wholly.
Guliye says such sustainable investment is the way to go for Kenyan higher institutions of learning especially the public universities.
