Kenya National Union of Teachers KNEC Bungoma South and Bumula branches have given an ultimatum of one week to the Kenya National Examinations Council KNEC to pay allowances to teachers who supervised national examinations last year.

Led by the Bungoma South Executive Secretary Kenneth Nganga, they disclosed that over 1000 teachers who supervised the exams last year from the two districts have not received their allowances up to date.

Nganga said that his office has been receiving complaints from the affected teachers while pointing out that according to the agreement KNEC was supposed to pay teachers before the end of January 2012.

“We are now in the month of April but KNEC has not given any formal statement concerning the delay of the teacher’s allowances,’’ he said.

Further, Mr. Nganga revealed that after the elapse of the one week ultimatum, the teachers’ body will organize for peaceful demonstration to force KNEC to pay teachers what rightly belongs to them.

“This is Kenya and it is normal that people must go on the streets before they can be paid, and as teachers we are ready to do that by Wednesday next week,’’ Nganga charged.

 In addition Nganga refuted media reports KNEC appealing for corporation with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) saying as teachers they oppose such a gesture as ‘it is geared towards depriving what rightly belongs to teacher’.

He said if at all KNEC will not give allowances to teachers by next week they will be forced to withdraw their services of supervising national examinations this year and subsequent years.

“It has become a routine and this is a last reminder to KNEC to either pay teachers their allowances or recruit their own officers to supervise national exams in future,’’ he warned.