The ongoing teachers pay battle has taken a new twist after a bid to cut salaries of the President, his deputy, and other high earning government officials was introduced.
Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba has filed a motion with the speaker seeking to slash by 50% salaries of the Deputy President, Members of Parliament, Governors, Senators, Members of County Assembly (MCAs), Commissioners and Judges.
Speaking at Parliament buildings on Monday, Ababu noted that the move to cut the huge salaries earned by some government officials would go a long way towards addressing teachers' expectations.
This comes hours after Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko, announced that he was willing to sacrifice 50% of his salary to pay teachers.
In a post on his Facebook page, Sonko further said that he would also be filing a similar motion in the Senate that would seek to cut salaries for Senators and other highly paid public officers in a bid to reduce the country's wage bill.
These reactions are playing out against the backdrop of President Uhuru Kenyatta's address to the nation on teachers' pay row.
Kenyatta said that if his government awarded teachers the improved salaries, then the country's wage bill would rise from 51 to 61 per cent of the total revenue.
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President Kenyatta also ruled out other options the government would take to honour the pay demand, urging teachers to reconsider their stance.
The Supreme Court awarded a pay increment of 50-60 % to teachers which the government has termed as unsustainable. The teachers' strike which is now in its fourth week has seen the government order both private and public schools to be closed.
The teachers' strike continues to be a bone of contention, eliciting sharp reactions across the political divide.
