Teachers reap fruits of Sh13.5bn pay deal

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By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, November 1  2012 at  00:18

IN SUMMARY

• All the 260,000 public school teachers have been paid arrears ranging from between Sh21,849 to Sh168,186 subject to statutory deductions.
• It also means the teachers have started enjoying their enhanced salaries that were backdated to July 1.
• This followed the signing of a pay deal that ended a three-week strike called to press the government into harmonising the teachers’ salaries with those of the civil servants.

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Teachers have received bigger salaries in their bank accounts this week after the government effected their Sh13.5 billion pay deal agreed last month.

All the 260,000 public school teachers have been paid arrears ranging from between Sh21,849 to Sh168,186 subject to statutory deductions.

It also means the teachers have started enjoying their enhanced salaries that were backdated to July 1.

This followed the signing of a pay deal that ended a three-week strike called to press the government into harmonising the teachers’ salaries with those of the civil servants. (READ: Teachers accept pay deal, end strike)

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) chairman Wilson Sossion confirmed the new salaries and arrears had been effected in this month’s pay slips as agreed.

“But we are carrying out our calculations to confirm if all the payments were effected as agreed,” he said.

The lowest paid teacher will take home a basic salary of Sh19,323 up from Sh13,750 in the new deal, while the highest paid will earn Sh144,928, up from Sh120,270.

Besides, deserving teachers have got hardship and special schools allowances at 30 per cent and 10 per cent of their basic salaries respectively.

The two allowances had been frozen by the government in June 2009.

According to calculations based on a Teachers Service Commission circular released recently, the highest paid teacher, a chief principal in job group R has received Sh168,186 this month in arrears including increments for this month.

Hardship allowance

The lowest paid a P2 teacher (job group F) that is set to be scrapped in July next year has received Sh21,849.

Those working in hardship areas and those in special schools have taken home an extra Sh5,204  to Sh11,579 in addition to the salary arrears.

Knut and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers signed the new deal on September 24, ending a three-week teachers’ strike.