The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has condemned the proposed salaries and benefits hike for senior state officers.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had erred by proposing an increment of salaries for an already pampered cadre of state officers.
"KUPPET has received with utter disbelief the news that the SRC is recommending an increase in the salaries and allowances of state officers," said Misori in a statement on Friday.
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He made the remarks even as he announced that the union’s organs will meet in July to make a final demand for a teachers’ salary increment that was due in 2021 and has not been offered to date.
Misori said the SRC's notice, which ironically is to be subjected to public participation, is distasteful.
The Commission has proposed that the Executive, Members of Parliament and County Assemblies, Judiciary and members of Constitutional Commissions, among other already highly-paid Kenyans, receive hefty pay, with Misori describing the move as unfortunate since it is coming at a time when ordinary Kenyans are suffering from skyrocketing inflation and low salaries.
"The commission’s recommendation is not merely tone-deaf. It confirms what KUPPET has said repeatedly – that SRC is a public relations tool by the country’s political and economic establishment to perpetuate the inequalities in our country by blocking the legitimate demands of low-income earners," he said.
KUPPET lamentations
He accused SRC of blocking the review of teachers’ salaries for two years under the Third Public Sector Remuneration and Benefits Review Cycle in 2021, alleging that the government cannot afford a pay rise for its workers.
"If any further proof was needed that the government is able to review teachers’ salaries, this SRC recommendation is sufficient," he said.
