Garissa Teachers Training College staff decry unpaid salaries, threaten strike
The workers are now demanding an urgent meeting with the institution’s board members, Ministry of Education officials, and local leaders to resolve the issue before they proceed with industrial action.
Non-teaching staff at Garissa Teachers Training College have threatened to go on strike due to unpaid salaries for the past 13 months.
The workers expressed frustration over ongoing delays and unmet agreements since last year.
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Speaking to the press at the institution’s main gate, the staff called on the Ministry of Education and local leaders to intervene urgently before they officially declare a strike.
Mohamed Aden Abdullahi, who led the group of 50 staff members, stated that they had previously suspended a strike two years ago, which had paralysed operations at the institution. At the time, they were given a return-to-work formula by the institution’s board members, administrators, and the area MP, but to date, the issue of unpaid salaries remains unresolved.
"We are parents with children to care for. We cannot survive without salaries for over a year. Let the elected leaders, board members, and the ministry come and address our concerns," he said.
Mohamed further lamented that Garissa Teachers Training College, the oldest teachers’ training institution in North Eastern Kenya since its establishment in 1996, is on the verge of collapse due to a financial crisis. He urged local leaders to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.
"Recently, when President William Ruto visited the region, we expected our leaders to address the plight of the institution, but they remained silent on this prolonged crisis that threatens the closure of the college," he said.
Another staff member, Mohamed Ismail Khalif, stated that the institution’s management is operating under a limited budget from the ministry. Local leaders had pledged to support the college by mobilising resources from the Ministry of Education, county government, and National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) to save the institution from collapse, but these promises are yet to be fulfilled.
He added that local leaders had also committed to mobilising high school leavers who met the required grades for teachers’ training colleges to address the region’s teacher shortage and boost enrolment at the institution, but little progress has been made in this regard.
"Our morale to work at the institution is dwindling due to the financial constraints it is facing. We are struggling to meet our basic needs and are running out of patience," he said.
The workers are now demanding an urgent meeting with the institution’s board members, Ministry of Education officials, and local leaders to resolve the issue before they proceed with industrial action.
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