More than 1,400 ECDE teachers in Homa Bay county have been appointed to permanent and pensionable terms.
Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti termed the move a milestone in the education sector.
He said the teachers were amongst the first in the country to be absorbed on permanent and pensionable terms.
The governor spoke on Monday during a ceremony to hand over the appointment letters at his office.
He said he has been working on ensuring the contracts became a reality since 2014, though with numerous obstacles.
“In 2014 we came up with the idea and presented it to the concerned bodies like Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Teachers Service Commission, Council of Governors and trade unions," Awiti said.
The governor said the breakthrough would form part of his legacy as he retires after serving two terms.
"Today we have the letters we have been pursuing for many years. I am proud to announce that our ECDE teachers are now on permanent and pensionable terms,” he said.
Awiti also assured the teachers that their pay had been adjusted upwards commensurate to their levels of education.
"We have teachers who have furthered their education and we have factored in all that. Salaries will be paid according to levels of education,” he said.
The governor also used the opportunity to drum up support for Azimio's presidential candidate Raila Odinga urging the teachers to come out and ensure they vote for Azimio- One Kenya coalition candidates.
“Let us ensure that this coming poll Raila wins first round. This will only happen if we all come out to cast our votes for Raila and Azimio candidates in all elective positions,” he said.
Awiti also thanked the Early Childhood Development Education teachers for the eight years they waited to be appointed into the permanent and pensionable terms.
The county secretary Prof Donald Ogweno said that the conversion will be of great benefit to the teachers as they will be able to benefit from attractive pension schemes.
“I want to encourage our teachers to enroll for pension schemes that will help them grow as individuals, now that they are permanent employees of the Homa Bay government,” he said.
Ogweno further said the teachers will also be able to access loans and other financial services from banks and cooperative societies.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
