Officials from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Machakos branch, stormed Matungulu Girls’ High School and consumed food meant for teachers. The incident, which occurred on Thursday, unfolded during ongoing demonstrations by the union against the government over unresolved grievances.
A video clip obtained by the Star shows KUPPET members entering the school’s staffroom, where they found it vacated and proceeded to scramble for food. The officials suspected that some teachers were at work despite the ongoing strike, leading to their actions.
The protests, led by KUPPET officials Musembi Katuku (Secretary General), Bernard Warui (Chairman), and Yvonne Musyoka (Vice Chairperson), extended to various locations in the county, including Kathiani, Kangundo, and Matungulu sub-counties. The officials urged parents to pick up their children from schools, claiming that the students were unsafe due to the ongoing strike.
“We urge parents who have taken their children to school to know that they have no security. We are here to tell you that all secondary schools and college teachers aren’t going to school,” Katuku stated during the protests in Kangundo town. He emphasized the union’s grievances with the government and the need for immediate resolution before teachers could resume their duties.
Katuku outlined several issues fueling the protests, including the government’s failure to confirm 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers as permanent and pensionable employees. He stressed that the lack of confirmed teachers affected the quality of education, especially in Junior Secondary Schools.
“Your children learning in JSS have no teachers. There are 46,000 JSS teachers who TSC should confirm so that your children can get quality education. We won’t resume work if the government fails to effect this demand,” Katuku asserted.
Additionally, KUPPET officials expressed frustration over the government’s failure to fulfill the second phase of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and alleged that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had not remitted third-party deductions to relevant institutions, despite making deductions from teachers’ pay slips.
“We are taking the government to court. Until TSC remits the third-party deductions, we are still on with the strike. The strike will continue,” Katuku stated. The union also highlighted the lack of funds for teachers’ promotions, which had left some schools without principals and deputies despite teachers having completed the required interviews.
“This is one of the reasons why we are demonstrating,” Katuku explained. He urged parents to support the teachers’ strike and refrain from sending their children to school until the union reaches an agreement with the government.
The protests come in the wake of KUPPET officials storming two other public schools within Machakos Town sub-county earlier in the week, including Machakos Girls’ High School, where they engaged with the school principal. The union’s actions underscore their escalating frustrations with the government’s handling of teachers’ grievances, which include inadequate staffing and delayed promotions.
As the strike continues, KUPPET maintains its stance that the government must address their demands for the sake of quality education and the well-being of both teachers and students. The union has called for a nationwide strike, insisting that the strike will persist until their grievances are resolved.
With the situation escalating, parents and students across Machakos and other regions are left in uncertainty, awaiting a resolution that will see the resumption of normal school activities.
