The Murang’a County Government has offered new contracts and salary increments for Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers following consultations with their representatives.
Briefing the press on Friday at the county headquarters, Murang’a County Secretary Dr. Newton Mwangi said the county executive had agreed to review the teachers’ salaries upwards after engagements with stakeholders.
“We have engaged with the teachers and their representatives, and the county has agreed to adjust pay for ECDE teachers,” Dr. Mwangi said.
“Those with higher certificates will be moved up, and we have made provision for pay increments as discussed.”
Murang’a County Offers New Contracts for ECDE Teachers
Under the proposed arrangement, teachers holding degree qualifications will receive annual salary increments of Ksh10,000; diploma holders will get Ksh6,000, while certificate holders will receive an additional Ksh4,000 each year.
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Dr. Mwangi said the phased salary review would continue for four years until the teachers’ pay aligns with the levels recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
He noted that the county had already begun onboarding teachers under the new arrangement, adding that many had signed revised contracts.
“Many teachers have already signed the new contract and are already on board,” he said.
However, the county dismissed the teachers’ demands to be absorbed on permanent and pensionable terms, arguing that such a move would place an unsustainable financial burden on the county government.
According to Dr. Mwangi, Murang’a County’s wage bill currently stands at 52 percent of its total revenue, significantly above the legal ceiling of 35 percent set for county governments.
He said absorbing all 1,200 ECDE teachers on permanent and pensionable terms would further strain public finances and affect service delivery.
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The county secretary also pointed out that there is a conservatory court order currently in place suspending the implementation of a judgment by the Employment and Labour Relations Court that directed the county government to employ the teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
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He noted that implementing the court ruling in full would require the county to spend an additional Ksh 300 million annually, a cost he said would force the administration to scale down or suspend key development projects and social programmes.
Among the programmes likely to be affected, he said, is the county’s school feeding initiative that provides porridge to more than 40,000 children in ECDE centres.
“To implement the full judgment, this would mean adding over 300 million Kenyan shillings annually,” he said. “That would force us to cut or drop other critical programmes and services, including feeding programmes that support over 40,000 children daily.”
“We remain committed to resolving this through dialogue within the law,” he said. “As a responsible government, we must balance the welfare of our teachers with our duty to all Murang’a residents and the law.”
The decision comes amid ongoing demonstrations by ECDE teachers in Murang’a, who have, on several occasions, taken to the streets to demand permanent and pensionable employment.
