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Teachers in Kenya are demanding that the government increase spending on education The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has given the government 2 weeks to enter talks on overdue allowances to cover housing, commuting and health as well as extra allowances for teachers working in the most difficult areas. These were all promised at the end of a dispute in 1997. They are also demanding increases for heads. senior teachers and special needs teachers and the employment of early years teachers. The union says that if Kenya is to have good guality education for all, the government needs to invest $4.78 billion.

Union boss David Osiany said despite setting a target to employ 28,000 teachers by 2012, the government decided not to allocate money in this year's estimates. "It is obvious the government has overlooked the current teachers deficit that is now taking its toll on the quality of education and we cannot just sit and watch as education standards are compromised," Osiany said.