Salary Increment For Teachers To Compensate 3% Housing Levy
Teachers are concerned about the proposed Finance Bill, which contains a 3% housing fund contribution for teachers.
They claim that the increased cost of living and their present low wages make the housing program unaffordable.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is leading the opposition, encouraging lawmakers to reject the bill because of the hardship it would impose on teachers.
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Martin Sembelo, the West Pokot County executive secretary of KNUT, called on President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua to review the bill’s implementation during a press conference in Kapenguria.
“Today, at Nasokol Girls, we met with over 600 teachers from across the county and said no to the finance bill,” he stated.
Sembelo emphasized that if the law is passed, it will demotivate teachers and increase the economic difficulties they already suffer.
Instead of the planned housing fee, the union contends that the government should focus on improving teachers’ salaries, which have been flat for the previous five years.
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“We request a salary increase to compensate for the three percent cut,” Sembelo explained.
Teachers, according to Sembelo, are not opposed to the government’s housing proposal, but are unable to purchase it with their existing modest incomes.
He noted that most teachers rely on their meager salaries to cover a variety of expenditures, including school fees and loans.
Adding extra taxes would simply increase their financial burdens and make it more difficult for them to satisfy their financial obligations.
“Our pay stubs are in critical condition, and withholding our pay means we won’t be able to meet our expenses.” Teachers have a lot of loans to pay off, as well as medical needs,” Mr Sembelo explained.
The contentious tax seeks to remove 3% of workers’ monthly basic salaries in order to fund President Ruto’s affordable housing plan.
Salary Increment For Teachers To Compensate 3% Housing Levy
However, the government has received considerable criticism from both the opposition and the general people as a result of the country’s high cost of living.
The two largest teachers’ unions, KNUT and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), recently met in Nakuru and vowed to campaign for teacher compensation increases.
Teachers’ unions understand the need for greater pay for their profession and to alleviate the financial stress they are currently under.
The scenario in West Pokot County is representative of a wider problem impacting teachers throughout Kenya.
