By Bukola Kilasho
Beautiful singer, songwriter and actress Habida Maloney has hit out at the President Uhuru Kenyatta administration for allegedly mistreating teachers.
Nearly 300,000 post primary school teachers who had been on strike since Tuesday, June 25, 2013 risked losing their jobs, as Kenyan media reports say the government threatened to sacked those who do not return to work.
The strike was eventually called off this week, although it is uncertain their demands were met.
What did teachers want? Increased travel, housing and medical allowances; as well as the enforcement of a 1997 agreement, which calls for a 500% pay increase.
The deal would have cost the government $540m in increased allowances for teachers and a further $175m to hire new ones.
According to the singer, who spoke in series of tweets, the Legislatures are unfair in awarding themselves huge pay perks while teachers languish with meager salaries.
Habida who is known for speaking her mind about contemporary issues, dared the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Jacob Kaimenyi to go ahead and fire teachers. But ‘he should first fire all the Members of Parliament.’
