All the 410 Kirinyaga Early Childhood Development and Education teachers have been employed on a permanent basis and their salaries increased.
Governor Anne Waiguru announced the teachers were now on permanent and pensionable grade.
Speaking at Kutus county headquarters during the presentation of letters of employment to the teachers on Wednesday, Ms Waiguru said her government was committed to improving terms and conditions of work of ECDE teachers.
The lowest paid teacher will receive Sh22,000 while the highest will get Sh49,000 monthly pay. The teachers earlier earned between Sh11,000 and Sh15,000.
Ms Waiguru observed that some people doubted when she promised to give ECDE teachers permanent jobs.
"There were murmurs and threats from some people during campaigns but I told them that I don't say something I don't mean. I have now fulfilled my promise to teachers," she said.
To implement the scheme, she said the county government has set aside Sh103 million for payment of salaries.
The county government will also pay for the teachers’ retirement benefits through the County Pension Fund.
Ms Waiguru said the move will not only empower the teachers and facilitate their personal growth but will also motivate them to offer the best services to about 15,000 learners across the county.
Over the past five years, she said, her administration has supported the 198 ECDE centres through improvement of infrastructure and distribution of learning and teaching materials.
“A survey has shown that our continued investment in the ECDE sector has resulted to an increase in enrollment in our centres as some parents who would previously enroll their children in private centres are now settling for public ones,” she said.
She encouraged the tutors to upgrade their academic qualifications since the new scheme has room for promotion.
“We want to thank Governor Waiguru for looking into our plight and restoring the dignity of an ECDE teacher," one of the teachers said.
