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Duale’s magic recipe to end teachers’ strike

By WAGA ODONGO September 15th, 2015 1 min read

Parliament, Judiciary and the Executive should have their budgets cut to pay for teachers’ salary increment, Aden Duale has recommended.

Mr Duale, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly, said his proposal to cut budgets across the three branches of government was informed by the government’s lack of the Sh17 billion required to effect the teachers’ pay increase.

“When the President says there is no money, there is no money. Let every MP donate a certain portion of CDF, then we ask the Judiciary, the Executive and the Parliamentary Service Commission and the teachers of Kenya will get Sh17 billion. If you want us to give teachers money all of us should sit together and I am sure we can raise the money,” said Mr Duale.

Speaking in Mombasa during a parliamentary retreat, Mr Duale dismissed suggestion that parliament should be recalled to debate the teachers strike saying that the move would be pointless as it could not end the deadlock.

SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET

“The only way Parliament can be recalled is if the Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich tells me that he has the supplementary budget for teachers,” he added.

Two MPs from Central Kenya, Mukurwe-ini’s Kabando wa Kabando and Kirinyaga Central’s Joseph Gitari had written to Mr Duale asking him to request Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi to recall the House to discuss ways of ending the teachers’ strike.

Mr Duale asked Kenya national Union of Teachers (Knut) and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to meet and try to come up with an agreement that could see teachers return to class.

He also asked teachers to seek the input of Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) as it is mandated by law to set salaries and allowances of all public officials.