Teachers have pledged to support President-elect William Ruto, barely weeks after they endorsed Azimio leader Raila Odinga's candidature in the run up to the August 9 elections.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) said they will deepen their relationship with Ruto's government for the betterment of Kenyan teachers.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori stated the President-elect had proved to the nation that he is willing to move the country in the right direction following his acceptance speech when he was handed the certificate by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati.
“We extend our congratulations to President-elect William Samoei Ruto and affirm our commitment to deepening our partnership with the government in the interest of Kenyan teachers and the education sector as a whole,” Misori stated.
KNUT on the other hand, congratulated Ruto saying he had demonstrated to millions of Kenyans the art of persuasion towards winning their hearts.
The union's Secretary General Collins Oyuu noted that Ruto outwitted his competitors led by the Azimio leader Raila Odinga and was best-fit to take the country into the next chapter.
“Pursuit for political leadership calls for intensive persuasion to the population towards winning their support to our dream positions; this you have done and won the hearts of more Kenyans than your competitors.
Your reconciliatory tone in your acceptance and maiden speech after you were declared winner has even encouraged us more after you affirmed that it was a competition and not enmity,” Oyuu stated.
They both pledged to work with the Kenya Kwanza government with Raila and his team set to challenge the presidential vote outcome at the Supreme Court.
During his campaign trail two months to the election, Ruto promised to hire all unemployed teachers with two years if elected president. There are about 300,000 teachers who are yet to be employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
He had promised to employ 50 per cent of them during the first year and the remaining 50 per cent in the following year.
"For each phase, we will hire 58,000 teachers beginning next year when we form the government to close the gap," President-elect stated.
On June 23, while unveiling the Kenya Kwanza coalition 'Education Charter', he also said the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) would need to be reviewed to accommodate concerns of all stakeholders in the education sector.
"As Kenya Kwanza, we support the progression from what we had as knowledge and exam-based education, only, to the new format of knowledge, skills and competence as well as value-based education."
Teachers' shift comes hardly two months when they promised to work with Raila and his running mate Martha Karua saying the two had best interest of teachers at heart.
“During Azimio’s manifesto launch at Nyayo Stadium, Raila promised to employ all trained and unemployed teachers in the shortest time possible if elected and also to improve teachers’ salaries if elected,” Oyuu had earlier stated.
Misori on his part had stated that Raila and his running mate remained the best option for teachers and their unions.
“As a union, we must set the bar high than ever before and any candidate who wants our endorsements should show us that he or she is explicitly a pro worker and pro-union candidate and Raila has shown that,” he stated.
It, however, remains to be seen if their shift to Kenya Kwanza would stay, should Azimio succeed in their petition to overturn Ruto's win at the Supreme Court.
