Education Cabinet Secretary Professor George Magoha’s remarks on the the delayed payment of salaries of teachers has elicited mixed reactions.
While addressing journalists after stakeholders’ consultative meeting on Monday at KICD, Magoha noted that all bonafide BOM teachers should have been paid by now. This is after the government approved their payment more than six weeks ago.
“BOM teachers should now actually have been paid. The Cabinet and the government approved their payment over six weeks ago and that position has not changed. so let us not waste so much energy discussing non-issues,” stated Magoha.
Magoha’s statement has caused uproar after it came out clearly from social media posts that BOM teachers have not been paid.
Here are some of the reactions;
It's a non-issue to him but to us BOM teachers it's an issue.
If the Cabinet and Govmnt AR claiming to have paid us, whom should we turn to? The principals who are clueless about the money ?— Joan Odongo (@JoanOdongo5) September 14, 2020
CS this is a total https://t.co/aTM9T8TrBD BOM teacher has been paid.Its believed the money was reversed by Gov. after being wired into school accounts.
— Humphrey olyana (@Humphreyolyana) September 14, 2020
Omera ! Professor your upright literacy ought to inform you that anything touching on money can never be termed as a non~issue
— Kamwana Kahatta (@Frankie80619678) September 14, 2020
The issue of delayed payment of teachers has poked holes in the leadership of the ministry of education.
Last week Wednesday, the chief administrative secretary Zack Kinuthia assured teachers that their payment was to be done as soon as possible.
He said, “This is a promise from the office of the CAS through consultation that the money is safely on transit to their bank accounts. It will happen whether it is today, tomorrow or Friday.”
However, contrary to his promise, Jambo News has established that these teachers are yet to be paid.
Babu Owino is had earlier promised to organize a nationwide mass demonstration starting this week to push the government to fast track payment of BOM teachers.
“Failure to pay BOM Teachers as soon as possible will lead to a Peaceful Nation wide demonstration that is better imagined than experienced.I will personally lead the mother and father of all demonstrations and all roads will be blocked on a daily basis, said Babu Owino in a statement.
BOM Teachers must have rubber shoes and helmets ready for a country wide demonstrations that will start from midnight next week after my presser.I also have anti teargas medicine that I’ll prescribe on that https://t.co/WPiYPA7hVS BOM Teachers or we pay ourselves on the streets pic.twitter.com/ummPRkfQJL
— Babu Owino (@HEBabuOwino) September 12, 2020