Newspapers on Wednesday, March 18, highlighted several topics, including the jobs of 44,000 teachers at risk after the court ruled that their employment by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was illegal.
Source: UGC
Elsewhere, newspapers devoted pages to a war of words between the President William Ruto and opposition leaders.
1. Daily Nation
According to the newspaper, more than 43,000 teachers are at risk of losing their jobs after the court declared their training contracts invalid.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has said it faces two options; terminate those contracts or get more money to hire them on permanent and pension terms.
The commission has called the historic decision as having plunged it into a major political and financial crisis.
The decision of the Court of Appeal of February 27 aimed to ensure that teachers get better employment conditions.
The judges decided that keeping the teachers who completed the training in the status of apprentices and paying them less than permanent teachers is discrimination.
The court thus ordered TSC stop hiring qualified teachers and registered under the in-service training program.
In a statement to Parliament, TSC said the teachers are now facing the possibility of losing their jobs, while MPs are pushing for them to be hired with the help of additional funds from the National Treasury.
However, hiring all 43,000 teachers requires a large budget, a challenge compounded by the country’s tight financial situation. For example, in January 2025 the government allocated 4.8 billion shillings to hire 20,000 apprentices.
Speaking before the Education Committee of the National Assembly, TSC warned that fully complying with the decision could disrupt studies in the country, due to the contribution of the teachers in reducing the shortage of teachers.
“The TSC internship program was declared invalid and unconstitutional on February 27,” said Cavin Anyuor, TSC’s director of legal services.
He was answering a question from Kitutu Masaba Member of Parliament, Clive Gisairo, who asked if the court had given a transitional period for the implementation of the decision.
Anyuor explained that the decision leaves the TSC with only two options, although consultations are still ongoing before the final decision.
Hiring those teachers would require billions of additional funds, something that could squeeze the national budget and cause tension with the Treasury.
On the other hand, terminating their contracts could increase the student-to-teacher ratio, especially in rural and isolated areas where apprentices take a large part in teaching.
Stakeholders have warned that the uncertainty could weaken the education sector, urging the government to intervene to find a permanent solution.
The chairman of the committee, Julius Melly, supported the idea of hiring the teachers, warning against any action that would affect them.
“The best option is to request additional funds from the Treasury to hire apprentices,” said Melly.
The commission also announced that it has suspended new teacher hires under the in-service training program unless the court’s decision is overturned.
“There will be no employment of apprentices in Kenya unless the decision is overturned,” said Anyur.
The program was established to provide graduates with classroom experience and a pathway into permanent employment.
For many young teachers, it was a rare opportunity in a job market that fails to absorb many graduates.
In its decision, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the Employment and Labor Relations Court that declared the policy unconstitutional.
2. Nation Today
The newspaper gave space to President William Ruto’s strong statements against opposition leaders.
On Tuesday, March 18, the president attacked his opponents during his visit to Western Kenya, temporarily abandoning his slogan of “politics and development” and instead started mocking the opponents.
What was planned to be a development tour turned into an arena of verbal attacks.
The presidential platform, which is usually used to announce policies, turned into a political battleground.
The language of progress was replaced by verbal attacks.
The president, apparently fed up with the silent attacks, openly went into radical politics, confronting his critics with harsh words.
In Cheptais, Mt. Elgon, Bungoma County, he completely let go of caution and his voice became harsh.
He indicated that the abstinence period was over.
“The opposition, their agenda is only William Ruto, and if they want us to go there, I am ready. But because I am focused on development, I will give 1 percent of my time, 99 percent will be for the people of Kenya,” said Ruto.
He called his opponents various names like fools, murderers, cheats, idiots and swindlers.
He seemed to target one of the opposition leaders by saying:
“They say I’m thin and I don’t sleep. I have the sense to know when to lose weight to focus on my work. Look in the mirror, exercise because your stomach is about to burst, your shirts are tight, eat less so you don’t sleep and pollute the air in public.”
Not only politicians were targeted; Nairobi Hospital board members were also criticized when he defended his intervention in the hospital’s crisis.
He said he intervened as a hospital guardian.
The President claimed that opposition leaders are only looking for headlines in newspapers and are using everything to defame him.
3. The Star
The newspaper The Star reported on the weather forecast, where the Meteorological Department predicted rain to continue in several parts of the country.
Rains are expected between March 17 and March 23, while increasing from Thursday, March 19.
Rains are expected in the highlands to the east and west of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria area, the Rift Valley, the southeastern areas and the coast.
The department warned that some areas may witness sudden heavy rains.
This situation comes when the country enters the long rainy season from March to May.
Although most areas will experience rain, the northeast and northwest will remain sunny and dry, although showers are possible.
Temperatures of more than 30°C are expected on the coast and northern parts.
At the same time, the night temperature may drop below 10°C in the highlands and areas close to Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Department of Meteorology advised citizens to monitor official information through the website, county announcements and the FASTA-Ken program.
4. The Standard
This newspaper reported on politics within the ODM party, where the EALA member of parliament Winnie Odinga He has announced that he will run for the position of deputy leader of the party.
Speaking at a meeting of delegates in Nairobi, he said he will strengthen the party in the city.
He said members of the city have endured many challenges for a better Kenya.
“This journey has been very long. We have lost many people, but we still have a journey ahead,” he said.
His announcement comes at a time when ODM is facing internal divisions between two factions—Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi.
The groups are fighting for leadership before next year’s elections.
The Oburu group removed Sifuna, but he was temporarily reinstated by the court of political parties.
Winnie has been supportive of Sifuna, although her appearance at an opposition group meeting raised questions.
He denied the allegations and said his loyalty to ODM has not changed.
“They say they welcome me home—where had I gone? This is my father’s house, where shall I go?” he said.
Tensions have increased in the run-up to the March 27 general meeting.
Deputy leader Godfrey Osotsi has described the Oburu group as illegal.
Member of Parliament George Aladwa said the members of Nairobi have chosen Winnie as one of the party’s deputy leaders.
He added that they will submit changes to the party’s constitution to establish the fourth position of deputy leader.
Read ENGLISH VERSION
Do you have an exciting story that you would like us to publish? Please contact us via news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
