News reports emerged in mid-July that some 1,300 Kenyan teachers are set to receive Kshs 155 million.
Inspired by the reporting done by online news platform Kenyans.co.ke, and subsequent shares on social media platforms like Facebook, several memes have been making the rounds on social media contextualizing, albeit in a humourous way, the news. This brought with it some confusion.
Background
The Kenyan government announced the closure of all academic institutions on March 15, implementing a phased approach to close down primary, secondary and finally all tertiary institutions over the days that followed.
This led to disruptions in the lives of many teachers, the most affected being private school teachers, teachers hired in public schools by Boards of Management (BOM) and those working in hardship areas such as arid areas and refugee camps. With the Ministry of Education confirming that 2020 is virtually wiped out, the financial struggle and suffering of most teachers appears to have been prolonged. Many teachers in private institutions and those on contract with management boards have been sent on unpaid leave since March.
There has been uproar and resentment by Kenyans due to misappropriation of donor funds and outright theft of aid which explains the scepticism over the money set aside for teachers.
Verification
A Google search for ‘Kenyan teachers to receive Ksh. 155 million’ reveals that the United Kingdom government donated Kshs 155 million to settle salaries of teachers working in Kenyan refugee camps. The funding is to be used for at least 7 months. The announcement was made by actress Angelina Jolie, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) special envoy, at the virtual UNHCR Summit.
The funding is part of Kshs 713 billion UK aid to be distributed to 10 refugee-hosting countries. The other beneficiaries are Chad, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen. In Kenya, the financial aid will pay teachers in Kakuma, Dadaab and Kalobeyi refugee camps according to the British High Commission in Nairobi.
Verdict
The claim that 1,300 Kenyan teachers are set to receive Kshs 55 million in financial aid is therefore TRUE.
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