A petition filed by Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) at Kitale Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) was the starting point in the quest for better pay for West Pokot Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers.
The Petition No. E003 of 2024, suing the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), West Pokot County Public Service Board (CPSB) and the Attorney General, was filed after KUNOPPET raised concerns that the county was paying the teachers much lower salaries than what had been advised by SRC via its advisory dated August 10, 2023 to all 47 CPSBs.
Upon filing the suit, the county government of West Pokot invited the union through General Secretary Samuel Opiyo for a formal engagement aiming to drop the suit.
As explained by Opiyo, parties met on October 11, 2024 at Governor Simon Kachapin’s residence for a five-hour meeting where a second meeting was scheduled for execution of consent.
Opiyo revealed to Education News that on November 20, 2024, the second meeting was held between KUNOPPET where he led the union branch leadership on one hand, and the county government leadership led by County Executive Committee Member for Education and Technical Training, Rebeca Kide on the other hand.
The meeting led to parties penning consent in the terms that; pending the full implementation of the SRC recommendations the county government shall pay basic salaries to the ECDE teachers with effect from January 2025 where Degree holders whose current salary is Ksh26,900 was proposed to be adjusted to Ksh39,700.
Diploma holders whose current salary is Ksh19,220 was proposed to be adjusted to Ksh26,900 and Certificate holders whose current salary is Ksh. 16,870 was proposed to be adjusted to Ksh23,700.
On allowances, the parties agreed that due to budgetary constraints in the current financial year, the implementation of allowances will take effect as from July 2025 where degree holders will get a House Allowance (HA) of Ksh9,600 and Commuter Allowance (CA) of Ksh5,000 on top of their Basic Salary of Ksh 39,700 bringing the gross pay to Ksh54,000; while those with Diploma will get HA of Ksh3,850 and CA of Ksh4000 on top of their adjusted Basic salary of Ksh26,900 to bring the gross pay to Ksh34,750.
Certificate holders will have on top of their adjusted Basic pay of Ksh23,700 a HA of Ksh3,000 and CA of Ksh.3,000 which will bring the Gross salary to Ksh. 29,700.
“On allowances, the County government acknowledges the inclusion of allowances as part of the SRC recommendations and undertakes to write to SRC for further advice on all allowances payable,” said Opiyo.
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“The issue remaining so far is the hardship allowance which SRC is expected to issue an advisory on. If SRC returns that hardship allowance is payable to public officers employed by West Pokot county executive, then the ECDE teachers will have a salary boost of between Ksh. 6,000 to Ksh. 7,000 over and above the gross salary set out above,” he added.
Opiyo is hopeful that the lives of its members will be positively impacted and this will motivate productivity in the course of their duty, noting that the consent was adopted as judgement of the Court thereby marking the case as settled and closed.
“I wish to sincerely thank Governor Kachapin for bending backward to accommodate KUNOPPET in what can be construed to be respect for the teachers,” he said.
By Roy Hezron
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