Female Teachers Sue TSC Over Unauthorized Welfare Fee Deductions
A legal battle has erupted between female teachers and their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), over alleged unauthorised deduction of welfare fees from their pay slips, amounting to hundreds of millions of shillings over the past five years.
The dispute has involved the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut).
Five Kuppet officials—Paul Rotich (Nandi), William Lengoyiap (Samburu), Robert Miano (Laikipia), Peter Oluoch (Tana River), and Jentrix Ogola (Kisii Vice Treasurer)—have sued their union, TSC, Knut, and EACC on behalf of the affected female teachers.
They seek to halt the deductions and secure refunds for the teachers.
The monthly deductions of Sh200, listed as Social Welfare Association (SWA) in the teachers’ pay slips, do not indicate the receiving organization.
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Documents filed before the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nakuru reveal that TSC and its CEO, Nancy Macharia, allegedly stopped the deductions temporarily to confuse the affected teachers about the cumulative amount deducted.
The teachers have repeatedly demanded a stop to these deductions since they began five years ago.
However, TSC and Ms. Macharia allegedly continued the deductions, suggesting a personal interest in the matter.
The teachers seek a court ruling that the forced enrollment into an unknown entity and the deductions from their pay have caused them financial embarrassment and injustice.
The deductions, unlike others listed in the pay slips, lack a clear narration and do not reveal the receiving agency.
The petitioners claim that since 2019, the female teachers have remained unaware of the whereabouts, operations, and day-to-day running of the entity receiving their money without authorization.
Due to these deductions, the affected female teachers receive even less salary, insufficient to meet their needs in harsh economic times.
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After complaints about the deductions, TSC introduced an “exit button” for Kuppet and Knut members to leave the union as a prerequisite for benefiting from the third phase of salary increments.
In a replying affidavit, EACC confirmed receiving the complaint about the alleged illegal pay-slip cuts in May 2023, stating that the matter is under active investigation.
Female Teachers Sue TSC Over Unauthorized Welfare Fee Deductions
