Th Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers in Nyamira County have threatened to down tools at the end of this month as schools reopen for second term unless their terms of service are reviewed by their employer, the County Government of Nyamira.
Speaking through their branch officials after a meeting held at Nyamira Town on Saturday April 18, the teachers said they have endured poor working conditions for years despite repeated promises from the county.
The educators commended Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo for the provision of fortified porridge to the young learners because it will improve their health and increase enrollment, but blamed him for the extra load he added to the teachers to feed the children without reciprocated remuneration.
Branch chairperson Sarah Nyaboke said the teachers are demanding to be absorbed on permanent and pensionable terms. Currently, most ECDE teachers serve on contracts, some of which have been renewed for over eight years without confirmation. “We cannot plan our lives on three-month contracts,” she stated.
The tutors further decried perennial delays in salary payment, with some going up to four months without pay. They are also pushing for salary harmonization, noting that they earn between Ksh12,000 and Ksh15,000 despite handling foundational classes that shape learners for life. “We are teachers too. The cost of living in 2026 does not exempt us,” one teacher lamented.
Another major concern is the lack of a clear scheme of service for ECDE teachers, leaving them with no path for promotion or professional growth. Many have upgraded their education to diploma and degree levels but remain stuck in the same job group, earning the same pay as when they started.
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The teachers also cited poor working environments, pointing to dilapidated classrooms, lack of teaching and learning materials, and absence of capitation for ECDE centres. In some schools, they said, ECDE children are forced to share toilets with older pupils, raising serious safety and hygiene concerns.
They added that unlike their counterparts in primary and secondary schools, ECDE teachers do not receive house, commuter, or medical allowances. The teachers are also locked out of the county medical cover despite being full county employees, forcing them to meet medical bills from their meagre salaries.
The officials gave the county government until April 30 to address the issues, failure to which they will paralyse learning in all public ECDE centres across the county’s five sub-counties. “We are not begging. We are demanding dignity,” said Nyaboke. “If the county values the foundation of education, let it show in how it treats the foundation teachers.”
Efforts to reach County Executive Committee Member for Education, Gladys Omwoyo, for comment were futile as her phone went unanswered.
Nyamira County has 648 public ECDE centres with over 1,200 teachers serving an estimated 38,000 learners.
By Enock Okong’o
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