By Star Editor

The Nairobi branch of the Kenya National Union of Nurses has issued a strike notice. The cause of this is reportedly the government’s failure to “harmonise salaries and allowances of health workers seconded from the national government” to the counties.

In the meantime, there is the ongoing battle between the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Teachers Service Commission over much the same issues – a demand for better salaries and terms of service. In this case, however, the drama is playing out in the courts.

The residents of Garissa town also had a demonstration – in this case to demand a solution to the deteriorating education standards in their county, brought about by the departure of approximately 800 teachers. The teachers fled the region in the wake of the repeated terrorist attacks which were to some degree focused on public service workers.

Such then is the state of two key public sectors in Kenya – education and health. Both are currently affected by a variety of controversies revolving around terms of service and the implementation of better schemes of service.

At the moment, the major catastrophe in this matter relates to what has happened in North Eastern Kenya. There is a real risk that an entire generation of young people in Garissa and other neighbouring counties will be denied access to education, and thus also denied the economic opportunities that can only come to those who have tertiary education. In the process, this will further enhance and entrench the historic marginalisation of North Eastern Kenya – just when devolution seemed set to end such marginalisation by empowering the county governments to undertake projects.

This is a situation which no democratic government can permit.

There are no obvious solutions to this problem, which is currently causing parents so much grief in North Eastern Kenya. Certainly there are no clear-cut short-term solutions. It is not right that they should struggle with such difficult problems when leaders are elected to high office in a democracy.

Quote of the day: When people in positions of trust mislead us either recklessly, negligently or intentionally, that impacts the republic negatively. – Harold Watson “Trey” Gowdy III is the US Representative for South Carolina’s 4th congressional district, a lawyer and former prosecutor. He was born on August 22, 1964.

Source: The Star