As Kenyan schools opened yesterday for the second term following a prolonged flooding period that necessitated postponement of opening day, teachers from Kirinyaga Junior Secondary School (JSS) demonstrated for most of the day, demanding permanent terms of employment and an investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) into alleged corruption in teacher recruitment by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The Kirinyaga JSS teachers have requested the EACC to investigate the TSC and its job allocation processes.
Chairman Josephat Kariuki, speaking during another day of demonstrations today, strongly urged the EACC to conduct an investigation due to their belief of widespread corruption in the teacher hiring process.
One of the questions posed by kariuki was how graduates from 2022/2023 had already secured permanent jobs while those who graduated between 2012 and 2021 have not. They have resorted to using the hashtag #confirmAndCompensate, where they have declared that they will not return to class until their employment is made permanent.
“JSS teachers from Kirinyaga are requesting the EACC to investigate the TSC’s job placements. It can’t be that teachers who graduated from 2012-2022 are still tarmacking while a teacher who graduated in 2022-2023 has a permanent job. This shows corruption and rot in the commission,” Kariuki said.
Moses Gachoki, another teacher, alleged that the current government is riddled with corruption. He criticized Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu for reportedly giving appointment letters to teachers from his region at funerals and instructing teachers from other areas to contact their Members of Parliament (MPs).
“It’s unacceptable that CS Machogu is allegedly giving out appointment letters at funerals in Kisii while qualified teachers elsewhere are told to go through their MPs. The EACC should also investigate this, as it indicates corruption at the highest level,” Gachoki said.
Gachoki emphasized that the threats they have received will not intimidate them into stopping their demonstrations or returning to class, as they believe their strike is protected by the constitution.
“We won’t be deterred by threats. Our strike is protected by the constitution. If the TSC followed the court order, we wouldn’t be forced to protest in the streets,” Gachoki said.
The teachers believe that the current leadership will only respond to a unified voice; the voice of their demonstrations.
A parent, Anniel Kamau, expressed the need for the government to respect teachers. He compared a teacher’s salary to the earnings of a middleman in the livestock business, who can reportedly make more money in two days than a teacher earns in a month at Kutus town.
“As a parent, I support the strike. It’s time for the government to listen to our teachers. I, myself, make more money than what a teacher gets at the end of the month. Pay them well to get good results,” said Kamau.