Ministers skip talks on teachers’ strike again

• Mr Githae, Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno and his Education counterpart, Mutula Kilonzo, sent a letter to Parliament at the last minute, leading to further delays in the talks.
• The Education, Science and Technology Committee has consequently warned the government against deliberately employing delaying tactics to have Parliament go on recess Thursday without resolving the strike.

Finance minister Njeru Githae has for the third time snubbed a parliamentary committee, which has been working to resolve the ongoing nationwide teachers’ strike.

Mr Githae, Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno and his Education counterpart, Mutula Kilonzo, sent a letter to Parliament at the last minute, leading to further delays in the talks.

READ: Githae’s absence at teachers’ strike talks angers MPs

The Education, Science and Technology Committee has consequently warned the government against deliberately employing delaying tactics to have Parliament go on recess Thursday without resolving the strike.

“We have given them the last chance to appear before us at 10am (Wednesday),” said committee vice chairman John Pesa.

The Teachers Service Commission Tuesday called the unions for separate meetings over the contentious legal notice number 16 of 2003 that amended their 1997 agreement.

Last week, the Treasury permanent secretary asked the committee for more time to allow the government “conclude its internal negotiations” before appearing before the committee Tuesday.

The three ministers sent word through Public Service Commission Secretary Titus Ndambuki indicating that they would not attend the session since they were involved in a Cabinet Subcommittee meeting on the matter chaired by Mr Otieno.

Lari MP David Njuguna accused the government of infringing on the right of children who were now out of school.

The Cabinet last week tasked the subcommittee to look into the striking teachers, lecturers and doctors grievances and find a solution to the stalemate.