Bungoma County government has started confirming ECD teachers who have been working on contract. The County Executive Committee Member for Education, Youth and Sports Beryl Mutekhele has said the public service board has already started the process which will see 2086 ECD teachers from the County put on a permanent and pensionable scheme.
“We already budgeted for the teachers and we want by the start of the next financial year which starts this July, they work on a permanent and pensionable basis. We want them to earn a good salary as teachers because what we’ve been paying them cannot be called a salary but a stipend,” she said.
Mutekhele said this at a Busia hotel when she was officially opening a one-day education seminar for delegates of Ng’arisha Sacco of Bungoma County teachers.
She was speaking on behalf of Bungoma County Governor Ken Lusaka who was slated to be guest of honour, “The Governor is with you and has told me to tell you that his government will always strive to ensure that education sector in the County is well catered for, that our teachers have a better environment to operate from and that you also grow.”
The CEC used the opportunity to urge the over two hundred delegates and Bungoma County teachers, in general, to adopt a saving and investment culture while still employed so that they don’t suffer after retiring,
“Am happy that as teachers they have been taught how to invest, create wealth and prepare for retirement. Many people view teachers as poor, as people who earn little money but this is because they don’t invest. And am sure through such seminars teachers are going to be capacity built and learn to invest,” she stated, adding,
“One thing which we have emphasized to them is that there is life beyond retirement, they need to start saving now when they are still working so that when retirement comes they have something to depend on.”
Her appeal to teachers to save and invest was backed by Ng’arisha Sacco chairperson Benedict Simiyu who revealed that the Sacco has now grown big and is ready to serve teachers better, “We have improved our services as a Sacco and teachers have no excuse not to develop.”
Mr. Simiyu extended his advice to other residents from Bungoma County to join the Sacco, save and invest, “Today Ng’arisha Sacco is not serving Bungoma teachers only but people from all walks of life including the mama mboga, bodaboda operators and employees with low income. We are telling the people of Bungoma and from other Counties that they have somewhere to save their money and invest, and that place is Ng’arisha.”