This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt learning in Kenya, thousands of teachers and staff in Nakuru County are facing a desperate situation. With their salaries stopped, they are now appealing for humanitarian assistance to avoid eviction and starvation.
According to reports, at least 3,000 teachers and 10,000 subordinate staff in Nakuru County are in dire need of food. The situation is further complicated by the fact that most of the affected staff have young families who are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 related shocks.
Nakuru County Secondary Schools Sports Association (NCSSSA) has appealed to the Ministry of Education to release the funds meant for their salaries to save teachers and their families from further suffering. Six NCSSSA officials, led by Secretary-General Duncan Macharia and Nakuru Town West Sub County Secretary General Joseph Chebukaka, have urged the schools' Boards of Management (BOM) to liaise with the Ministry of Education to find a solution to the crisis.
Mr. Chebukaka emphasized the gravity of the situation, saying, "Most of the families are not able to cope with the Covid-19 related shocks, the Ministry of Education needs to do something without further delay."
Teachers like Victor Mwanga, who works at Jomo Kenyatta Secondary School in Nakuru North, are struggling to feed their families. "It is tough. I appeal to the government and other well-wishers to bail us out," he said.
The situation has led to some teachers taking up manual jobs, which exposes them to the risk of contracting the deadly virus. Mr. Chebukaka has urged the ministry to buy food stocks in schools and distribute them to the affected workers before they expire.
