Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairman Omboko Milemba speaks to journalists at a Nairobi hotel on May 21, 2014. FILE PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
Kuppet hairman Omboko Milemba asked Mr Odinga to retract his statements or face the teachers' wrath.
In Monday's issue of the Daily Nation, Mr Odinga was quoted as calling for the transfer of education functions from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to county governments.
A teachers' union on Monday urged Cord leader Raila Odinga to abandon his push to have education devolved to counties.
"We will not allow education matters to be left to unqualified politicians whose interests are power and a chance to reward cronies with jobs," Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairman Omboko Milemba said.
Mr Milemba said county governments could not be relied on as they had proved inefficient in handling the health docket, among others.
He asked Mr Odinga to retract his statements or face the teachers' wrath.
"If Raila wants to put the education question in the planned referendum, he will come head-on with teachers. We shall ensure it fails in the same way we did to the Wako draft that had also threatened to devolve the education docket to counties," Mr Milemba told the union's national governing council meeting, which he chaired.
'RAW NERVE'
The union's executive secretary for Laikipia, Mr Ndung'u Wangenye, said the Cord leader had "touched a raw nerve", which could shatter his political career.
"Teachers have kept a low profile in the referendum debate but we shall get involved as we now know who our enemy is," he added.
In Monday's issue of the Daily Nation, Mr Odinga was quoted as calling for the transfer of education functions from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to county governments.
This, he argued, would enable county governments to take charge of employment of teachers as a way of easing staff shortages and improve standards.
But Kuppet said the TSC was an independent commission protected by the Constitution, and that it was wrong for Mr Odinga to attempt to "micro-manage" education.
LACK OF SERVICES
"We urge Mr Odinga to keep a distance from education matters if he wishes to remain relevant in Kenyan politics. Everyone has seen what is happening to the health sector, with people dying due to lack of services. Salaries for medical staff have been delayed for long," said Mr Milemba.
He argued that the TSC was well-equipped and had the experience to handle education matters professionally.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for the transfer of education functions from the national government to the counties.
Mr Odinga said counties should handle education matters in their jurisdictions, arguing that the regional governments were better placed to understand the needs of the institutions.
However, the core function of hiring teachers and their remuneration should remain with the national government, he said.
Counties should be allowed to monitor, transfer and post teachers as they are in a good position to determine staffing needs, he said.
"We want the county governments to handle the education sector," Mr Odinga said on Sunday at a funds drive in Malaba, Busia. That would help in improving education standards, he said.
PARTIAL DEVOLUTION
However, Kericho Senator Charles Keter said the education sector cannot be devolved partially.
Mr Keter said any function that is devolved to the counties has to be fully transferred.
He said that funds set aside for a particular department cannot be divided between the two levels of government hence teachers would have to take over all functions if education was to be devolved.
However, the county governments have no capacity to handle properly all the teachers' issues, hence the function should remain with the national government, he argued.
"Money follows functions and so to say that we are devolving education would mean that we send all the monies to the counties for them also to hire and pay teachers."
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