Catholic Church calls for dialogue over teachers strike

The Catholic Church has called for dialogue between teachers and their employer over salary increment.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) want a meeting held between the two teachers’ unions, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to craft a payment formula.

“In the meantime, we appeal that schools be opened to allow learning to proceed as candidates are preparing for the national examinations,” said Bishop Maurice Makumba, who is in charge of education at the KCCB.


“A standoff between the parties would see our school going children suffer an injustice,” he said in a statement to the newsroom Wednesday.

He argued that the strike will affect the quality of education in public schools and in the long run affect the social economic development of the country.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have urged their members to stay out of class until the government agrees to pay them a 50 to 60 per cent salary increment as ordered by the High Court.