Teachers in Kenya who are part of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have ignored a court order to stop their strike. This strike has now stopped classes in many schools for three days.
The High Court, with Judge James Rika, had told the teachers to pause their strike. However, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said that the union needs to understand the court order better before deciding what to do. Until then, Misori told members to keep striking.
In some places, the situation has become very chaotic. For example, in Uasin Gishu, striking teachers went into Uasin Gishu High School, ate food meant for the teachers, and closed the school. They did this to try to force other teachers to join the strike.
The strike has also caused violence. KUPPET officials have gone to schools where teachers were still working and have removed them from their classrooms. In Mombasa, teachers marched in the streets, asking for permanent jobs, better medical benefits, and promotions. Michael Mpita, a union leader in Mombasa, doubted whether the government would follow court orders, pointing out that it had not followed court decisions in the past.
In some areas, schools have stayed open. In Kiambu, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has asked teachers to end the strike, saying that the government has made progress on some of their demands. Despite this, KUPPET officials in places like Kwale and Murang’a are insisting that the strike will continue until their demands are met.The ongoing strike shows a big disagreement in the education sector about how to handle the situation and the response to court decisions.
By Newshub