Kenya court suspends teachers’ strike

A court in Kenya has ordered teachers to suspend a month-long strike over pay and return to work immediately.

Millions of children in Kenya have been unable to attend classes due to the strike.

A Kenyan court previously ordered a pay rise of at least 50%, but the government is challenging this, saying it is unaffordable.

The industrial court ordered the government and unions to work together to settle the dispute within 30 days.

Teachers argue that a pay deal struck in 1997 has only been partially fulfilled.

But President Kenyatta disputed this, insisting that “the award has been settled in full”.

There has been no teaching in public schools since the beginning of the month, as the teachers say the government should abide by the court’s decision.

The government ordered schools to close this week, saying this was to protect “children, staff, and… property” and to “allay the worries of parents”.

The more than one million pupils who will sit public exams next month are allowed to go to school, but it is not clear if there will be staff available to teach them.

Private schools have also been told to shut but some have defied the order, reports the BBC’s Odhiambo Joseph in Nairobi.

-bbc.com