In 2015, I was still relatively green in the profession, but I was very enthusiastic about union politics and activities. During that time, teachers went on strike demanding a salary increase. The then President, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, came out very bitter and wagged his finger at teachers, strongly rebuking us for the strike. He categorically stated, and I quote, “I won’t, and I can’t pay teachers any extra money”
The following morning, the whole community rallied behind their son, _Kamwana_. Many people came out publicly abusing and insulting teachers, accusing us of undermining what they called “ uthamaki wa kamwana”
True to his word, during his ten-year tenure, President Uhuru oversaw policies that teachers felt were greatly disadvantageous to them.
Teacher recruitment was scaled down, promotions stagnated, transfers were largely frozen, and not a single coin was added to teachers’ basic pay.
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Instead, his administration presided over the signing of what many teachers considered a weak maternity CBA, introduced an amorphous Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), and implemented the controversial delocalisation policy, which saw many teachers from Central Kenya promoted and deployed as principals across counties nationwide.
To make matters worse, the government introduced the concept of relief teachers, which later evolved into the intern teacher programme, a move many educators argued was contrary to the spirit and principles of Kenyan Labour law.
Ironically, the same Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta has now been politically sanitised by some of the very teachers he once admonished.
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Some are even supporting the idea of him backing his political project, Fred Matiang’i, to run the country, a move that could potentially reintroduce the very policies that teachers once strongly opposed. Let’s not mention the provident fund that shaved 7.5% off our basic pay.
Let us not be myopic. Perhaps the best course of action is for Uhuru to retire _peacefully_ and enjoy the fruits of his retirement, rather than dragging the country back into political battles of the past.
By Sir Chelule
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