The government can also legally withhold their salaries and evict them from school houses, following the ruling by Mr Justice Isaac Mukunya outlawing the strike.
Earlier, the Government had threatened to evict those living in school houses but there was no backing from the court. Now with the court order, TSC can make good their threat.
Locked them in
Mr Justice Mukunya directed officials of the teachers union to attend meetings of the conciliation committee, appointed by Labour minister John Munyes on January 15.
Teachers are barred from taking part in the strike until the end of the discussions. Knut attended the talks once.
However Knut maintained that the strike would go on despite the court order. The officials spent most of the day in their offices after the teachers locked them in to bar them from attending the Industrial Court session.
Speaking to the Nation after learning of the court's decision, Knut chairman George Wesonga said the National Executive Committee could only make a decision once they are presented with the ruling by their lawyer, Mr Kabiru Macharia.
Our lawyers will have to study and interpret the ruling before the NEC can convene to call off the strike. As far we are concerned, the strike will continue until such a decision is made, he said.
Over 200,000 teachers are participating in the strike which started on January 19.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers last week signed a deal that will see members' salaries in job groups K to R equal to those in the civil service.
Despite the deal, some secondary school teachers joined the strike which entered its fifth day yesterday with some reporting to school but refusing to teach.
Teachers do not want the salary raise be paid in two phases, with 35 per cent being effected on July 1, this year, and the rest on July 1, next year.
Meanwhile, some MPs calling themselves the grand official opposition on Friday supported the teachers strike.
Led by Budalangi's Ababu Namwamba, the MPs said they supported the teachers rights to agitate for improved terms.
They objected what they termed crude tactics by the government to break the teachers' resolve in their pursuit of the salary increment.
We are convinced that the government can afford to meet the very modest demand by teachers, said Mr Namwamba. – Saturday Nation
Reported By Sam Kiplagat, John Ngirachu and Dave Opiyo
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