A total of 6,466 P1 trained teachers with ‘A’ Level academic qualifications have never received their payment of arrears dating back to between July 18, 1996 and July 1, 2010.
They have spent much of their career on the road making follow-ups on these settlements, creating a warring edge with their employer Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the delayed arrears forming the battlefront.
Their latest attempt at justice was a petition presented to the Senate, but there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
Some have now retired having dotted the corridors of TSC and other government agencies for 27 years seeking to unlock their 14 years of uncertainty, wondering why their employer graded them and failed to pay the accrued arrears.
In May 1996, the Ministry of Education (MoE) moved untrained teachers (UTs) with ‘A’ Level qualifications to S1 after attending a two-week upgrading course at Kagumo and Bondo teacher training colleges.
This locked out 6,466 P1 trained teachers with similar qualifications, but the difference being training and experience.
In July 1996, the then Directorate of Personnel Management of TSC issued a Scheme of Service (SoS) for non-graduate teachers, spelling out requirements for their appointment and promotion.
Some time in that year, the then first Kenyan woman to be appointed Chief Inspector of Schools Elizabeth Semo Masiga, requested all district and municipal education officers, as well as city director of education, to submit the names of P1 trained teachers with ‘A’ Level qualifications to the Ministry of Education (MoE).
“As a matter of urgency, you are kindly requested to submit the names of P1 trained teachers with ‘A’ Level academic qualifications teaching in your district/municipality/city to the Chief Inspector of Schools latest August 15, 1996,” Masiga had instructed in her letter.
The SoS for non-graduate teachers then stipulated that the existing S1 teachers promoted from P1 were to convert to ATS IV, while diploma certificate holders would convert to diploma teachers.
According to an internal memo by the TSC dated September 26, 2000 signed by the then Commission’s Senior Human Resource Manager a Mr. Kariuki, the category of teachers who were to benefit in the promotion of diploma teachers (Job Group ‘J’) to ATS II (Job Group ‘K’) included diploma teachers from Kenya Science Teachers College (KSTC), Kagumo and Siriba teachers colleges, or any other approved diploma college.
Others included Diploma in Special Education from Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), teachers with ‘A’ levels with 1 Principal and 1Subsidiary in Sciences (excluding General Paper), or 1 Principal and 2 Subsidiaries in Arts excluding General Paper.
These cadres were promoted from P1 and Approved Teacher Status (ATS)-4 and ATS-3 to ATS-1 (Job Group ‘L’) on account of their qualifications in 2010, but were not paid their arrears.
Moreover, teachers who were promoted from P1, ATS IV and III to ATS I (Job Group L) on account of their ‘A’ Level academic qualifications have not been paid their attendant salary arrears (ranging from 1996 to 2010) to date. Concurrently, those who were promoted again in July, 2010 were never issued with promotion letters.
In 2003, TSC promoted the ‘A’ Level teachers dating back to 1996 and paid commensurate arrears, though it’s not clear whether the money reached the targeted teachers.
According to documents seen by Education News regarding promotion and re-grading of P1 ‘A’ Level to S1 upward, the Commission adjusted the salaries effective July 1, 1995.
In this case, the total number of teachers on the stated cadre on its payroll was found to be 6,466 and those who had taught for 18 years and above were 2,524.
Each teacher was to pocket a whopping Ksh424,194, which included arrears of Ksh240,000, house allowance of Ksh161,000 and Ksh21,000.
The total salary arrears that were to be payable to the 2,524 teachers from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 2003 accumulated to Ksh1.07 billion (1,070,665,656).
On the other hand, there were 3,942 teachers on payroll who had taught for 15 to 18 years. Each of these was to take home Ksh573,936 in arrears, including accumulated Ksh308,820 from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 2003.
Other perks were house and medical allowances of Ksh218,676 and Ksh46,440 respectively. In total, this group was to cumulatively take home a total of Ksh2.26 billion (2,262,455,712).
In addition to the arrears, each teacher was to receive an increase in bill per month of Ksh10,437, which cumulatively totals to Ksh809,827,704 per year for 6,466 teachers.
At one point, the then Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Lawrence Majali wrote a letter dated August 29, 2009 to the Education Minister Prof. Sam Ongeri, requesting for resolution of the issue after the teachers threatened to camp at the minister’s office in what they termed a prayer meeting and hunger strike.
In their petition to the Senate through a Ruth Kabui, the teachers want the House to urgently investigate the matter and makes appropriate recommendations.
By Roy Hezron
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