Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has taken a step back from his earlier claim.

That there were no funds to employ Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

In a local interview, Mbadi stated that the exchequer lacked the necessary funds to hire the 20,000 teachers needed for JSS.

However, on Sunday, he retracted this statement, admitting that he had been misinformed about the budget allocation for these teachers.

Mbadi’s change of heart comes after he acknowledged that his initial statement was inaccurate.

“Those who are saying there is money in the budget for JSS teachers are right. I am wrong, and there is nothing wrong with admitting that.

The communication was wrong from my side—I should have been clearer,” Mbadi said

In his clarification, Mbadi explained that his previous comments referred to the ongoing cash flow challenges within the exchequer, which could potentially impact the payment of teachers’ salaries from July to December 2024.

However, he emphasized that the funds required for converting JSS teachers to permanent and pensionable terms from January 2025 have already been allocated in the budget.

“What I should have made clear is that there is money in the budget for the conversion of JSS teachers to permanent and pensionable terms starting January 2025, with Ksh.22 billion available,” Mbadi clarified.

“I implied that there might be no money to pay them from July to December, but I should have been very clear that there is money in the budget from January.”

Mbadi also mentioned that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been informed about these budgetary provisions and the upcoming changes.

Looming teachers strike

This development occurs amid growing unrest from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET),

Both of them have announced a nationwide strike set to begin on Monday, August 26, 2024.

The unions have expressed frustration over the TSC’s failure to address critical issues discussed during a meeting held on July 16, 2024.

Aimed at resolving the impending industrial action and addressing concerns about teachers’ welfare.

Education CS Julius Migos has also highlighted the ongoing financial challenges within his ministry.

Revealing that there is an acute shortage of funds to meet the various demands in the education sector.

This has further complicated the situation, with Migos pointing out that the government is currently unable to fully implement phase two of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).