No Funds for Employing JSS Teacher on Permanent Terms, Says Treasury CS Mbadi
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has announced that the government lacks the financial capacity to employ Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
He emphasized that the government also cannot afford to hire an additional 20,000 JSS teachers, citing a struggle to raise funds for salary adjustments.
During a Thursday interview with Citizen TV, Mbadi explained that the current budget shortfall makes it impossible for the government to address the concerns of JSS teachers.
He highlighted that the year has been fraught with challenges, leading to significant financial constraints.
“We don’t have resources for recruiting JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, and we do not have the resources for the additional 20,000 JSS teachers that was reduced in the estimates,” Mbadi said during an interview at Citizen TV.
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The CS specified a budget shortfall of approximately Sh13 billion, which complicates the conversion of JSS teachers to permanent terms without necessary budget adjustments—an option that is not currently feasible.
Impact of the Finance Bill 2024
The government had initially planned to employ teachers currently on internships with a budget allocation of Sh18.3 billion.
However, the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 created a substantial budget deficit of Sh346 billion. This development further exacerbated the government’s financial difficulties.
Despite these setbacks, on July 5, President William Ruto assured that the conversion of JSS teachers to permanent terms would proceed as planned.
He acknowledged the challenges posed by the rejection of the Finance Bill but expressed the government’s commitment to finding alternative funding methods.
The President stated that the government would rationalize its budget to fulfill its promise to the teachers.
Proposed Solutions to Address the Deficit
In response to the budget shortfall, the President mentioned that the government had conducted extensive consultations to strike a balance between borrowing and implementing austerity measures.
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The proposed solution includes budget cuts totaling Sh177 billion, with the remaining deficit to be covered through borrowing. This borrowing would increase the budget deficit from 3.3% to 4.6% of the GDP, still lower than the previous year.
The funds raised through these measures would be allocated to essential government programs.
No Funds for Employing JSS Teacher on Permanent Terms, Says Treasury CS Mbadi
