Govt to challenge ruling on teachers' pay

Politics and policy

Education secretary Jacob Kaimenyi. PHOTO | FILE 

By OLOO WINNIE and SANDRA CHAO-BLASTO

The Ministry of Education says it will challenge the ruling of the Industrial Court to increase the basic pay of teachers by up to 60 per cent.

Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi has said that the ministry is considering going to the Court of Appeal to challenge the Industrial Court's decision citing the "current economic status of the country".

“We cannot be forced to pay money that we do have with us right now, we will go to the courts of appeal, and we too are entitled to take such legal actions,” Prof Kaimenyi.

“The ruling today is something we will keenly investigate and where we are not satisfied we will take it to the court of appeal,” he added, underlining the ministry's dissatisfaction with the ruling.

He was speaking to journalists after attending to a parliamentary committee Tuesday.

The Industrial Court had earlier in the day awarded teachers a 50 to 60 per cent basic pay increase effective immediately. The pay rise will be backdated to July 2013 and is payable over four years.

Industrial Court Judge Justice Nduma Nderi ordered that the pay increase agreement between the teachers' union Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Teachers Service Commission should be registered with the court within 30 days.

Teachers and the TSC had taken their remuneration battle to the employment and labour relations court after the January 2015 strike that paralysed education around the country.

READ: TSC attempt to block court over tutors’ pay dispute fails

ALSO READ: Treasury says teachers Sh9.3b offer not factored in budget