Teachers from Taita Taveta have alleged that the Kenya Women Teachers’ Association (KEWOTA) has collaborated with the Teachers Service Commission to deduct Sh200 monthly subscription fee from their salaries without their consent.
In a petition through Taita Taveta Senator Johnes Mwaruma, the over 171 female teachers from the county who are among the 80,000 members of the association want the deductions stopped forthwith and the matter investigated.
“TSC committed an economic crime by colluding with KEWOTA to unlawfully deduct Sh200 from teachers as members of KEWOTA without their consent since 2019,” reads the petition.
“The petitioners pray that the deductions be stopped forthwith and that all the money deducted be refunded forthwith with accruing interest.”
Mwaruma claimed the affected teachers have been writing to their employers to have the deduction stopped in vain.
“In some instances, the deduction was stopped for a while but it was effected again. Teachers have a right not to be exploited by their employers and the members have made every effort to have the matter addressed but have proven futile,” he said.
Our efforts to reach out to TSC CEO Nancy Macharia for comment were not successful as she did not respond to our calls and messages by the time of publishing the story.
However, KEWOTA CEO Benter Opande said it was unfortunate that some union officials were going round forcing teachers to sign petitions against their will.
“These complaints have never been brought to our organisation. No single letter has been delivered to our office as required by the law. So these allegations are alien to KEWOTA,” Opande said.
The petition follows another letter by the teachers to EACC seeking to have it launch a probe into the matter.
“To cover up the KEWOTA from teachers’ legal action, the teachers’ pay slips do not show the deduction,” the letter received on April 24 by the agency reads.