The country was yesterday, Wednesday 17th July, treated to a twist of events as the government through its Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, ordered the closure of all public primary schools only for the KNUT officials to emerge a few minutes later and officially call off the strike.
Prof. Kaimenyi had ordered the schools to close indefinitely following the teachers' strike which had paralyzed learning throughout the country.
On the other hand, the government had also put clear its intention of withholding the salaries of all striking teachers.
However, the Knut officials called for a press conference where they called off the strike after meeting the deputy president William Ruto.
KNUT chairman William Sossion
Mr. Sossion said they agreed to end their three-weeks-old strike after the government gave in to their demands of paying them commuter allowances. He also said that the jubilee government agreed to withdraw the contempt of court charges it had filed against him and the union's secretary general.
The teachers agreed to go back to class on a Sh 16.2 billion deal. This amount will cover their commuter, reader and responsibility allowances. This amount is set to be payed in two phases whereby the teachers will get Sh 5.7 immediately while the remaining will be released in the next financial year.
Following the increment in allowances, the lowest paid teacher will be getting Sh 4,000 while the highest paid will take home Sh 16,000 every month as commuter allowances.
“We have assessed the government offer over time and we are satisfied that we have put in place proper mechanisms through engagement... With that in mind, the National Executive Council has now authorized the secretary-general to call off the strike,” said Mr. Sossion
But despite KNUT's move to end their strike, the government has insisted that all public primary schools will remain closed until further notice.
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