Mutua's first mediation as Labour CS backfires as teachers formally announce strike

Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua is already facing his first crisis nearly a week after his inauguration, with teachers formally announcing their strike starting Sunday, August 25.

On Friday, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) National Executive Council declared that their strike would commence at midnight on August 25, while the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) has scheduled theirs to start the following day, Monday, August 26.

"All schools shall not be attended to by teachers in the entire Republic. The KNEC has further directed that all Branch Executive Councils mobilise to have total withdrawal of labour in all schools in the 110 branches until the matter is resolved and the strike action is called off..." reads part of the statement by KNUT. 

KNUT's formal announcement comes three days after Mutua met the members led by Secretary General Collins on Tuesday, August 13, where he acknowledged the teachers' grievances. However, no agreements were reached during the meeting.

With schools set to reopen for the third term on Monday, August 26, Mutua is running against time to prevent a full-blown crisis.

On Friday, Mutua offered no solutions to the simmering wrangle as he continued to urge workers' unions to give the new cabinet time to review issues and engage ahead of looming strikes.

"I urge the unions to allow a little time for the new ministers to review these issues and engage with them promptly," Mutua pleaded in a press release. 

He noted that the new Cabinet Secretaries are being brought up to speed on various issues within their ministries.

Labour CS nominee Alfred Mutua during the cabinet vetting at the National Assembly. Photo: National Assembly

Mutua also mentioned that he has been in discussions with the teachers to engage in dialogue as soon as possible to address the concerns raised by various unions.

He further pointed out that most unions, which represent the interests of workers, are aware of the current economic, social, and political situation in the country.

"I believe they are patriotic and forward-thinking and therefore urge them to embrace dialogue," he said. 

Mutua mentioned that, in the spirit of resolving industrial issues amicably and pragmatically, he has been in discussions with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the leadership of KNUT and KUPPET.

He added that he is aware the Ministry of Education and TSC are currently engaged in internal consultations on the unions' concerns, with a solution expected soon.

"Similarly, our team in the Ministry is already overseeing negotiations between the Ministry of Education and UASU leadership, and they will update me in a few days," Mutua said.

As a result, the CS pointed out that go-slows and strikes should be the last resort after everything else has failed.

His Education counterpart, Julius Ogamba, was also thrown into the deep end, facing a litmus test to curb the looming crisis.

The two CSs are expected to join hands and address the grievances raised by teachers, including implementing the second phase of the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which promised a salary increment of 7 per cent to 9 per cent. Additionally, there are concerns about the teachers’ medical scheme, non-remittance of SACCO and loan deductions, and delays in retirement benefit payments.

They also called for the confirmation of junior secondary school teachers and criticised the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for failing to meet the CBA terms.

CSs Mutua and Ogamba face a mounting crisis as they struggle to address the myriad grievances raised by teachers. Despite engaging in discussions with union leaders, the lack of concrete resolutions has left the situation precarious.

Stakeholders argue that if the ongoing negotiations fail to yield satisfactory results, a widespread teachers' strike could significantly impact the education sector. How the two Cabinet Secretaries resolve the crisis will create a basis for their legacy, defining their effectiveness in handling labour issues.

Education CS nominee Julius Ogamba during his vetting before the National Assembly's Committee on Appointments on August 1, 2024. (Photo: Handout)