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News from Africa
IMF intervenes in Kenya teacher's strike
Teachers in Kenya found out they were fighting a bigger force than
the government after a 15 day strike last October. The Financial
Times (13/10/98) revealed that the IMF would not approve an urgently
needed new loan facility if the government acceded to the teachers
demands.
Teachers in Kenya currently receive an average basic salary of US
$150 per month. The Kenyan National Union of Teachers argued that
most teachers this is not enough to live on. Last July they
negotiated an agreement with the government for a 200% increase over
a five-year period. The strikes, supported by 70% of the
population, were in response to the government defaulting on that
agreement.
Kenya is heavily indebted, and 25% of government revenue goes to
service debt, compared to 2.7% of GNP on health and 6.8% on
education. Over half of the debt is owed to multilateral
institutions, including the World Bank and IMF, and last year Kenya
paid US $208 million in debt service to these institutions. A
reduction in Kenya's debt burden would release funds that could be
used for social spending including teacher's salaries. However the
International Financial Institutions do not consider Kenya eligible
for debt relief.