The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers has implored the government to pay teachers what they are owed and those deserving of promotion to be issued one.
Omboko Milemba, the KUPPET national chairperson of the union while attending the union’s general meeting on Saturday, revealed that talks are ongoing between the union and the Head of State to raise Kshs. 100 billion to pay outstanding bills. The meeting was held at St Columbians High School in Kitale.
Omboko said that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has to examine the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to address the promotion of teachers.
“The five-year CBA will quantify promotions for deputy principals, heads of departments, and acting principals who had worked for long periods without pay,” said Omboko.
If the proposal goes ahead, teachers in Job grade D5 will have a new salary of Kshs. 89,016 with the highest-paid teacher taking home Kshs. 237,376. A teacher of this grade is currently earning around Kshs. 148,360.
Omboko also called on the government to make the National Health Insurance Fund the medical scheme for teachers.
“The government should have in the first place allowed several medical insurers to offer services to teachers instead of having them locked to one,” he said.
Milemba also said that beneficiaries and their families had endured unimaginable hardship.
At the moment AON Minet is the sole teachers’ medical scheme that covers teachers and their families.
The union’s Chairperson also called on TSC to sign an agreement with NHIF to allow teachers to benefit from the medical scheme.
The KUPPET Chairperson who is also a lawmaker felt that it was funny that NHIF covers other civil servants with a full package while teachers are using AON Minet.