Knut official tells politicians to keep off teachers’ issues
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) deputy Secretary General Mr Charles Katege has asked politicians to stop giving teachers ultimatums saying it is the teachers’ employer who should carry out such a mandate.
Mr Katege said the constitution of Kenya empowers TSC to handle teachers’ matters and not any other individual or organization.
The Knut official further said the union fully backs the teacher’s decision of not reporting on duty in North Eastern until the government guarantees the teachers and their families’ adequate security.
“I thought Senator Billow Kerrow and his North Eastern counterparts should lead in the negotiations with the government on how to secure the region other than castigating the teachers who are demanding their constitutional rights,” Katege said.
Mr Katege, who spoke to Nairobi News on phone, added that the security of their members is key and this formed the basis of their agenda in the annual delegates conference that was recently held in Nairobi.
MANDERA MASSACRE
He clarified that the teachers have not refuse to report back to their stations in North Eastern region but they are only raising security concerns in the area following an attack of a Nairobi-bound bus in Mandera in November last year by suspect Al-Shabaab militiamen.
During the attack the assailants massacred 28 non-Muslim passengers in cold blood. A good number of the victims were teachers who proceeding on vacation.
“The teachers simply need the government assurance of their safety and that no more teachers will be massacred again,” said Katege.
Mr Katege urged the leaders in North Eastern region to hold talks with the government on ways of providing security to the teachers rather than accusing Knut leaders for the teachers’ boycotts.
Mr Katege was reacting to recent allegation by the North Eastern leaders who accused Knut of directing teachers in schools in North Eastern Region to abscond their duties due to lack of security.