Learning activities in public junior secondary schools have been disrupted after teachers in Meru County staged protests, insisting they will not resume classes until the government confirms them on permanent and pensionable terms.
The teachers, who have served under the internship program for two years, accused the government of ignoring court rulings and delaying their formal employment despite repeated assurances.
Speaking during the protests at Nteere Park, the teachers led by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Meru branch Secretary General, Kithinji Lewis Abbas, said they are demanding that President William Ruto respect court rulings which declared that internships extending beyond six months are unlawful.
Kithinji said the government must stop what he termed as exploitation of teachers under the guise of internship programs, insisting that the current arrangement is illegal and unsustainable.
“We want to tell the President that the road to Singapore is not going to be walked by people who are interns. If the President wants us to walk to Singapore, we are going to walk as permanent and pensionable,” said Kithinji.
In addition, the angry teachers said they are frustrated by what they called prolonged uncertainty, arguing that many of them were recruited with expectations of eventual confirmation, only to remain stuck in internship terms without job security.
They further claimed that while the government has publicly announced recruitment of junior secondary school teachers, a significant number remain on internship status, a situation they described as modern-day labour exploitation.
Kithinji warned that the strike will continue if the government fails to act, adding that teachers are prepared for a prolonged standoff.
He also dismissed any threat of disciplinary action from the Teachers Service Commission, saying interns are not formally employed under the commission’s disciplinary framework.
“Mr President, we are telling you together with the Treasury and the Ministry of Education that enough is enough. You have used us for a long time. There is no policy that says an internship should run for two years,” he said.
Fridah Kinya Karani, an affected teacher, said the conditions faced by interns are unbearable, pointing to financial strain and lack of medical cover as major concerns affecting their welfare.
She said many teachers are forced to survive on a monthly stipend of Sh17,000, which she argued is not enough to support families, pay school fees for their children, and meet basic living costs.
“These teachers do not even have a medical cover. They have children who are in school, and we wonder what is protecting these children. How is Sh 17,000 going to educate children and run a family?” said Fridah Kinya Karani.
KUPPET Meru branch executive secretary Njira Muthomi also backed the protests, calling on the government to immediately comply with court orders and confirm the teachers on permanent terms.
He described the stipend as inadequate and unsustainable, insisting that continued delays will only deepen unrest in the education sector and disrupt learning in junior secondary schools.
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“Sh 17,000 is a wage that is very little to cater for anything. So we are out in the streets to say categorically that teachers of Meru must be confirmed as permanent and pensionable. Failure to do so, we are going to stay in the streets and not in class,” said Muthomi.
By John Majau
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