Employ Us on Permanent and Pensionable Terms, Uasin Gishu ECDE Teachers Urge Koti Moja

ECDE teachers in Uasin Gishu County are now asking Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim to employ them on permanent and pensionable terms.

The teachers say they had been promised better employment terms starting July 1, 2022, but the former administration never fulfilled it.

But with the new administration, they claim they are now being asked to sign another contract for three months before they are confirmed.

“Mandago promised us confirmation letters but now we’re being told we work on contract for another three months, enough is enough,” said Caroline Lagat, an ECDE teacher at Kaplasu Primary School.

The ECDE teachers also lament over the county government’s decision to give them a flat remuneration despite their different educational backgrounds.

“Ksh10,000 is not enough. Why are we paid a flat rate? We have teachers with degrees, diplomas and certificates. The salary cannot be the same,” noted Lagat.

Contract terms

There are at least 1,500 ECDE teachers in Uasin Gishu that have been working on contract terms.

Former Governor Jackson Mandago had said all the teachers would be employed on permanent terms.

He had also increased their salaries to Ksh13,000 as they awaited being confirmed as permanent and pensionable terms.

“We have suffered a lot, they are not treating us as people. We don’t want contracts again. The county portal says we were confirmed on July 1, 2022, but we’re being told to wait until October 2022. We need to be confirmed as permanent and pensionable now,” noted another teacher Truphena Chepchirchir.

“There is an ageing teacher who is about to retire but has no pension. How will that person survive after all the dedication to give children the best foundation?” she asked.

The ECDE teachers raised the issues as they turned up for the head count that governor Bii had directed to ascertain the number of county employees he inherited.