EMBU, Kenya- The newly elected Executive Secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Embu Branch, Josephat Kariuki Kathumi, has warned politicians against interfering with education matters, saying politicization is threatening the quality of education in the country.
Speaking at Kangaru Primary School in Embu County during the Embu Branch KNUT elections, Kathumi accused some politicians of misleading the public by claiming that schools have received capitation funds.
“Politicians should stop politicizing education matters because doing so will destroy the quality of education in this country. They have been lying that there is capitation money in schools, yet that money has not been released,” Kathumi said.
He revealed that most schools are still operating on capitation funds allocated as far back as 2002, noting that no additional funds have been added since then.
“The only money that was allocated was in 2002. Since then, no other money has been added for capitation. With the current economy, it has become very difficult to run schools. The government must allocate more funds to ensure learning runs smoothly,” he said.
Kathumi also condemned a recent incident in which a Member of Parliament from Mbeere allegedly assaulted a teacher at St. Joseph’s Iriamurai Secondary School.
He said disciplinary matters involving teachers should be handled by professional bodies and unions, not politicians.
“As the Executive Secretary, I strongly condemn that act. Issues of disciplining teachers should be left to teachers’ unions and bodies such as KNUT and the Teachers Service Commission, not politicians,” he said.
On the state of the economy, Kathumi noted that even the government had acknowledged the hardship facing Kenyans, citing President William Ruto’s directive allowing pupils to attend school without uniforms.
“That directive shows the government has accepted that the economy is bad. The government should reduce the amount of money it is deducting from Kenyans so that families can save and sustain their lives,” he said.
He urged parents of Grade 9 pupils transitioning to Grade 10 to ignore politicians and instead engage directly with school principals to find solutions for their children’s education.
On the issue of Teachers’ salaries and welfare, Kathumi said many teachers are demanding salary increments to cope with the rising cost of living. He noted that teachers’ salaries remain far lower than those of other civil servants.
“Teachers are receiving very low salaries. The government should review and harmonize teachers’ pay with that of other civil servants so that teachers can survive the hard economic times,” he said.
Kathumi thanked teachers for electing him and pledged to serve them diligently. He, together with Chairman Erastus Muthenya and Treasurer John Kabuthia, was elected unopposed.
KNUT Head Office Executive Officer Alice Tuwei congratulated the new leadership and described the Embu elections as historic and peaceful.
“These elections were unique and very peaceful. I congratulate Embu teachers for their maturity and urge the new leaders to serve without fear or favour,” Tuwei said.
