Junior Secondary School intern teachers in Kirinyaga County have voiced concerns against possible cuts in the budget that may lock them out of being absorbed into permanent and pensionable positions. Teachers asked the government to protect the funds set aside in the 2024/25 budget for hiring 46 000 teachers.
Teachers Demand Protection of Allocated Funds
According to branch chairman Josphat Kariuki, members have been worried about the budgetary allocation of money toward the employment of the JSS interns. Reports going around say that the number of teachers to be absorbed will be brought down from 46 000 to 26 000 because of the reduction in funds. Kariuki said that instead of reducing the allocation, the government needed to protect and even increase as schools keep increasing with the student population on the rise.
Commitment to Permanent Employment
The JSS teachers, speaking through their spokesmen Moses Gachoki and Martin Mwai, said they expected to append their signatures to appointment letters for permanent and pensionable terms with effect from July. They challenged the government to live up to the promise by President William Ruto to have all the 46,000 teachers permanently employed. The teachers sounded a note of warning to political malice in the entire deal, insisting that the President’s promise had to be upheld.
Inadequate Stipend and the Need for Confirmation
Another representative, Wanjiku Muriithi, noted that the current stipend of Sh17 000 was not enough. She added that the only way out of this was the confirmation of JSS intern teachers into permanent posts. The teachers made the appeal during a media briefing in Kutus town on Tuesday.
Government and Legislative Actions
The National Assembly Finance Committee had earlier announced a Sh18 billion allocation for the permanent employment of JSS intern teachers. Molo MP Kuria Kimani revealed this during the meeting of the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group at State House on June 18.
Reports have indicated that Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung’u tabled a Sh19 billion budget cut put aside for the Teachers Service Commission for employment. The proposal followed a decision by MPs allied to the Kenya Kwanza to amend some tax proposals in the 2024 Finance Bill amid country-wide demos.
Ongoing Protests and Public Sentiment
While teachers came out to plead with the government not to touch their employment funds, hundreds of youths took to the streets in Kutus and Kerugoya towns to demand the total rejection of the Finance Bill 2024. In such light, the protests reflect massive dissatisfaction with the proposed budget cuts and how they are likely to affect public services not excluded.